Ladies  and  OfScers  of  tlje  United  Mates  irmy; 


AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY 


A  SKETCH  OF  THE 


SOCIAL  LIFE  AND  CHARACTER  OF  THE  ARMY 


BY 

DUANE  MERRITT  GREENE, 

LATE  LIEUT.  U.  S.  ARMY. 


Some  things  good,  and  some  things  ill,  do  seem, 
And  neutral  some        *        *        *. —  Davies. 


CHICAGO: 
CENTRAL  PUBLISHING  COMPx\NY. 

1 


Copyright,  1880, 
By  DUANE  MERRITT  GREENE. 


PREFACE. 


THE  present  volume  comprises  a 
brief  survey  of  the  social  life  of 
the  United  States  Army,  and  is  designed 
to  controvert  and  correct  the  erroneous 
views  prevalent  respecting  its  character, 
and  to  give  a  glimpse  of  a  world  into 
which  the  eye  of  the  civilian  seldom  pen- 
etrates. The  Army  is  a  little  domain  of 
its  own,  independent  and  isolated  by  its 
peculiar  customs  and  discipline  ;  an  aris- 
tocracy by  selection  and  the  halo  of  tra- 
dition. Its  interior  is  an  unexplored  re- 
gion to  the  mass  of  the  people,  and  it  is 
not  the  Dorado  of  morality,  honor  and 
chivalry  that  many  believe ;  the  heart  of 
a  Sidney  does  not  invariably  beat  under 


4 


PREFACE. 


the  Army  "blue."  Grand  men,  whom  no 
age  nor  country  has  surpassed,  are  to  be 
found  on  its  roll ;  and  charming  women, 
who  would  grace  the  court  of  royalty, 
adorn  its  social  circles  ;  but  manly  virtues 
and  high  moral  worth  are  no  oftener 
found  in  the  Army  than  in  civil  life.  The 
degree  of  excellence  which  citizens  gener- 
ally ascribe  to  the  ladies  and  officers  of 
the  Army  is  not  always  justified  by  inves- 
tigation. The  exterior  tends  to  mislead 
the  superficial  observer ;  but,  under  the 
eye  of  criticism,  the  illusion  passes  away, 
until  that  alone  remains  which  is  founded 
on  truth.  Human  nature  never  fails  to 
disclose  itself  and  to  gain  the  ascendancy 
over  any  mode  of  cover  which  may  be 
adopted. 

The  author's  Army  experience  is  hal- 
lowed by  pleasant  associations,  and  it 
presents  a  panorama  of  friendships 
staunch  and  true  — of  comrades  sharing 
the  fatigue  of  the  march,  the  danger  of 


PREFACE. 


5 


battle,  the  pride  of  victory,  and  the  terror 
of  retreat,  too  vivid  to  be  forgotten  ;  and 
he  trusts  that  the  animadversions  made 
in  the  following  pages  may  not  be  attrib- 
uted to  aught  but  a  desire  to  give  a 
correct  sketch  of  Army  life  as  it  came 
under  his  observation ;  also,  that  the 
reader  will  not  infer  that  the  examples 
given  under  the  various  topics  are  iso- 
lated cases.  It  was  not  deemed  necessary 
to  cite  more  than  enough  to  illustrate  the 
subject.  D.  M.  G. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2015 


https://archive.org/details/ladiesofficersofOOgree 


CONTENTS. 


PART  FIRST. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Ladies  in  the  United  States  Army  to 
THE  Prejudice  of  Good  Order  and 
Military  Discipline        .       .  -13 


CHAPTER  n. 
Caste — Staff  and  Line     .       .       .       •  3* 


CHAPTER  in. 

Degeneracy  of  Army  Society  —  Possibili- 
ties OF  American  Civilization      .       ,  37 


CHAPTER  IV. 


Marrying  for  Position       .       .       .  .45 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  V. 
Where  the  Public  Money  Goes        „       •  51 

CPIAPTER  VI. 
The  Power  Behind  the  Throne        .       .  61 

CHAPTER  VH. 
Intemperance       .       .       .       .       .       .  65 

CHAPTER  Vni. 
Freedom  of  Manners  .       .       .       .  .75 

CHAPTER  IX. 
Amusements — Dress     .       .       .       »       •  S3 

CHAPTER  X. 

How   much   of   the   Unpleasantness  of 
Army  Life  might  be  Obviated      .       .  95 


CONTENTS. 


9 


PART  SECOND. 

CHAPTER  I. 
Arrogance     .       .  ....  loi 

CHAPTER  II. 

Deference  to  Wealth  —  Servile  Adula- 
tion  127 

CHAPTER  III. 
PaI-rician  Prejudices  133 

CHAPTER  IV. 
A  Ludicrous  Phase  of  Frontier  Service  159 

CHAPTER  V. 

Intemperance  —  Profits  of  Post  Trader- 
ships    ......  .185 


PART  FIRST. 


LADIES  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES  ARMY. 


CHAPTER  I. 


LADIES   IN   THE   UNITED    STATES  ARMY  TO 
THE   PREJUDICE  OF  GOOD   ORDER  AND 
MILITARY  DISCIPLINE. 

"War's  a  care  for  men." 

— Mrs.  Browning. 

IT  is  claimed  by  a  prominent  faction  of 
the  day  that  the  influence  of  woman 
would  be  beneficent  in  the  affairs  of  gov- 
ernment —  would  purify  politics  and  ele- 
vate the  standard  of  public  morals — were 
she  allowed  to  freely  exercise  her  power. 
The  potency  of  her  influence  in  public 
matters  is  already  sufficiently  well  estab- 
lished to  warrant  us  in  ignoring  entirely 

the  question  of  her  equality  with  man. 
13 


14 


AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


Cleopatra  led  Mark  Antony  a  willing 
slave  from  the  presence  of  Caesar's  gath- 
ering hosts,  which  he  might  have  con- 
quered and  gained  a  throne.  Madame 
de  Maintenon  controlled  the  splendid 
monarchy  of  Louis  XIV,  and  immortal- 
ized her  name  by  cruelty  and  oppression. 
Through  this  brilliant  king  she  ruled 
France  and  made  the  monarchs  of  Eu- 
rope tremble  in  their  capitals.  To  her 
was  attributed  the  appointment  of  un- 
skillful generals  and  weak-minded  min- 
isters, and  the  revocation  of  the  Edict  of 
Nantes,  which  had  secured  religious  free- 
dom to  the  Protestants. 

Woman's  agency  in  civilizing  and  refin- 
ing society  is  too  patent  to  admit  of  dis- 
cussion —  a  more  graceful  culture  and 
purer  morals  spring  up,  like  natural  flow- 
ers, wherever  her  feet  have  trod.  Illus- 


LADIES  IN  THE  U.  S.  ARMY.  1 5 


trious  examples  prove  her  ability  to  fill 
exalted  positions  of  trust,  and  to  cope 
with  great  events  ;  and  that  keenness  of 
perception  and  intuitive  sense  of  the  fit- 
ness of  things,  which  are  peculiarly  char- 
acteristic of  woman,  eminently  qualify  her 
for  the  office  of  adviser  and  friend.  The 
frivolous  conduct  of  the  Egyptian  queen 
is  offset  by  the  prudence  and  learning  of 
the  stately  Elizabeth,  whose  able  rule 
marks  the  golden  age  of  England's  his- 
tory—  hers  the  glory  to  cheer  on  her 
subjects  to  victory  over  an  Invincible 
Armada ! "  On  the  proud  throne  of 
France  the  Man  of  Destiny  found  his 
star  in  the  ascendant  so  long  as  the  good 
and  wise  Josephine  was  admitted  to  his 
councils. 

And  yet,  with  such  renowned  prece- 
dents before  him — with  all  deference  to 


1 6  AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


her  capability  as  civilizer,  ruler  and 
counselor  —  the  writer  is  constrained  to 
hope  that,  should  the  time  come  when 
women  have  the  ballot  and  all  their  so- 
called  "  rights,"  their  power  may  be  lim- 
ited in  one  branch  of  the  public  service, 
namely,  the  Army.  Observation  and  ex- 
perience have  demonstrated  to  him  that 
the  presence  of  ladies  in  the  Army  is 
prejudicial  to  good  order  and  military 
discipline.  This  statement  may  seem 
ungallant  and  too  comprehensive,  but  the 
picture  he  proposes  to  give  of  Army  life 
he  thinks  will  sustain  him  in  the  asser- 
tion, and  show  that  this  already  dominant 
power  should  not  be  increased,  but  rather 
limited  and  restrained. 

In  the  armies  of  Europe  there  are  re- 
strictions upon  the  marriage  of  the  offi- 
cers, and  the  most  rigid  regulations  are 


LADIES   IN   THE   U.  S.  ARMY.  I  J 

prescribed  for  the  government  of  their 
famiHes  when  residing  at  Military  Posts, 
as  the  presence  of  ladies  is  regarded  as 
inimical  to  the  interests  of  the  service  ; 
and  they  are  oftener  found  there  as 
guests  than  as  members  of  the  garrison. 
The  Avife  of  an  officer  is  verv  rarelv  de- 
pendent  upon  her  husband  for  a  home, 
nor  would  she  sacrifice  her  wonted  social 
position  for  a  permanent  residence  in  the 
Army.  Durino;  the  immobility  of  the 
armies,  a  large  proportion  of  the  married 
officers  are  allowed  to  spend  much  of  the 
time  with  their  families. 

In  our  Army  the  enlisted  men  are  re- 
strained, but  the  officers  marry  at  their 
option.  However  agreeable  may  be  the 
presence  of  ladies,  it  is  a  noticeable  fact 
that  the  lack  of  discipline  is  most  con- 
spicuous at  stations  where  the  number  of 


l8  AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


ladies  is  greatest.  They  monopolize  the 
time  of  the  bachelors  as  well  as  the  time 
of  their  husbands,  and,  consequently,  those 
little  attentions  which  are  indispensable 
to  the  welfare  and  comfort  of  the  enlisted 
men  are  neglected.  The  married  officer  is 
more  prone  to  shirk  duty  than  the  unmar- 
ried. The  former,  when  detailed  for  ser- 
vice that  involves  personal  danger,  is  sur- 
rounded by  a  weeping  family  —  children 
begging  their  father  to  remain  with  them, 
and  an  affectionate  wife  appealing  to  the 
love  of  her  husband,  insisting  upon  his 
feigning  sickness,  or  resorting  to  some 
other  subterfuge  to  evade  the  order ; — 

"O  thou,  who  art  my  sweetest  spouse  beside 
Come  now  and  take  me  into  pity !  Stay 
I'  the  town  here  with  us !    Do  not  make  thy  child 
An  orphan,  nor  a  widow  thy  poor  wife !  " — 

and  the  husband  does  not  always  reply  as 
did  great  Hector: 


LADIES  IN  THE  U.  S.  ARMY.  I9 


"  Lady,  for  these  things 
It  is  my  part  to  care.    And  /  fear  most 
My  Trojans,  and  their  daughters,  and  their  wives, 
Who  through  their  long  veils  would  glance  scorn  at 
me, 

If,  coward-like,  I  shunned  the  open  war. 

Nor  doth  my  own  soul  prompt  me  to  that  end !  " 

Bachelors  are  free  to  act  according  to 
their  sense  of  professional  honor.  To 
them,  danger  is  an  incentive  to  heroic 
deeds,  as  promotion  sometimes  follows, 
if  they  escape  death.  The  married  offi- 
cer often  fails  even  to  visit  the  guard 
after  midnight,  when  "  Officer  of  the  Day," 
especially  if  the  weather  is  stormy.  His 
wife  says,  "  Let  the  guard  go  to-night, 
dear";  and,  through  deference  to  her 
wishes,  he  remains  in  bed. 

At  Fort  Hays,  Kansas,  the  author 
heard  a  lady  complain  bitterly  because 
her  husband  was  detailed  for  duty  that 


20  AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


would  take  him  away  from  his  station, 
and  probably  detain  him  several  weeks. 
She  remarked  to  some  friends,  I  think 
it's  too  bad !  the  Major  is  ordered  to 
Santa  Fe  on  court-martial  duty,  and  may 
be  gone  till  next  spring,  and  I  shall  have 
to  remain  here  alone !  We  have  just 
completed  the  arrangement  of  our  house, 
and  adopted  a  programme  for  our  win- 
ter's entertainment.  I  think  they  might 
send  an  tminai^ried  officer ! "  Turning 
to  her  husband,  she  continued,  Dear, 
why  don't  you  say  you  are  sick  and  un- 
able to  go ;  the  Doctor  is  a  kind  man, 
and  I'm  sure  he  will  give  you  a  certificate 
of  disability      /'//  talk  to  him  !  " 

There  is  usually  a  harmonious  feeling 
among  the  officers  of  Posts  where  there 
are  no  ladies.  They  exchange  cordial 
greetings,  indulge  in  little  pleasantries  of 


LADIES  IN  THE  U.  S.  ARMY.  21 


conversation,  and  always  part  with  a  de- 
sire to  meet  aeain.  Their  social  status 
is  based  upon  intrinsic  merit  instead  of 
the  caprice  of  a  giddy  woman.  If  Con- 
gress w^ere  to  enact  a  law  requiring  the 
examination  of  ladies  who  propose  to 
make  a  home  in  the  Army,  as  to  their 
intellectual  qualifications  and  general  fit- 
ness, and  defining  their  position  and  obli- 
gations when  residing  within  the  military 
jurisdiction,  the  same  happy  condition 
might  prevail  throughout  the  Army.  In 
the  absence  of  such  a  measure,  an  ap- 
proximate degree  of  unanimity  in  social 
matters  might  obtain,  if  the  married  and 
the  unmarried  of^cers  were  not  permitted 
to  serve  togrether  when  the  former  have 
their  wives  w^ith  them.  This  would  save 
the  bachelors  from  persecution,  equalize 
duty,  and  promote  the  interests  of  those 


22 


AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


who  desire  to  study  something  besides 
flirtations.  However  desirable  such  an 
innovation  might  be,  it  is  impracticable. 

A  remarkable  case  of  breach  of  disci- 
pline, through  the  influence  of  a  woman, 
occurred  in  the  Department  of  the  Pacific. 
The  ofiicer  was  a  surgeon,  stationed  in 
San  Francisco,  California,  where  his  fam- 
ily had  the  entre  to  the  best  society.  In 
the  course  of  events,  the  Indians  became 
troublesome  in  the  northern  part  of  that 
State.  Anticipating  a  protracted  cam- 
paign, the  Department  Commander  re- 
inforced the  troops  in  the  hostile  district 
with  men  from  the  Presidio  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, and  it  fell  to  the  lot  of  the  surgeon 
to  go  with  them.  Upon  receipt  of  the 
order,  he  hastened  to  inform  his  wife. 

What  an  outrage  !  "  she  exclaimed  to 
some  visitors.    "  Think  of  it !    The  Doc- 


LADIES  IN  THE  U.  S.  ARMY. 


23 


tor  has  been  ordered  to  the  North  Coast 
to  fight  Indians  !  I  really  believe  it  is 
done  to  persecute  me,  and  he  shall  not 
go  one  step  !  " 

Actuated  by  a  sense  of  duty,  the  Doc- 
tor endeavored  to  reconcile  himself  to  his 
fate,  and  informed  the  indignant  lady  that 
the  order  was  imperative  and  could  not 
be  evaded,  to  which  she  made  the  follow- 
ing reply : 

"  That  proposition  is  an  admission  of 
weakness,  and  shows  a  lack  of  manliness. 
Indomitable  will  and  pluck  to  back  it 
are  qualities  I  admire  in  a  man.  Show 
the  General  that  you  have  rights  as  well 
as  he,  and  that  he  cannot  make  a  con- 
venience of  you  every  time  troops  are 
sent  after  Indians.  A  surgeon  is  needed 
here,  and  why  don't  he  allow  yo2c  to  re- 
main     Why  don't  he  send  Doctor  ; 


24  AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


he  has  no  family  and  no  citizen  practice, 
and  wouldn't  be  missed  ?  Let  the  steamer 
sail  without  you." 

"  But,  my  dear,  I'll  get  into  trouble," 
replied  the  vacillating  Doctor. 

Never  mind,"  responded  the  inde- 
fatigable wife,  "  even  if  you  are  tried  for 
it,  you  will  get  off  with  a  slight  reprimand, 
and  in  the  meantime  you  can  have  the 
comforts  of  home  and  the  pleasures  of 
society,  and  probably  the  war  will  be 
ended  before  your  trial  takes  place." 

He  acted  in  accordance  with  her  ad- 
vice, and  the  steamer  sailed  without  him  ; 
and,  there  being  but  two  steamers  per 
month  from  San  Francisco  to  the  North 
Coast,  another  opportunity  for  transpor- 
tation could  not  be  had  in  less  than  two 
weeks.  When  it  was  discovered  at  De- 
partment Headquarters  that  the  Doctor 


LADIES  IN  THE  U.  S.  ARMY.  25 


had  not  complied  with  his  order,  and,  fail- 
ing to  give  a  satisfactory  explanation,  he 
was  put  in  arrest.  When  "  steamer  day" 
came  again  he  was  released  and  directed 
to  proceed  to  Fort  Humboldt  and  report 
to  the  District  Commander  for  assign- 
ment to  duty,  and  the  Provost  Marshal 
was  instructed  to  see  that  he  was  on 
board  the  ship  when  she  was  ready  to 
saili  About  an  hour  before  the  time 
fixed  for  the  vessel's  departure  the  Mar- 
shal, called  to  ascertain  whether  he  in- 
tended to  go.  Not  knowing  that  this 
officer  was  addressing  him  officially,  the 
Doctor  said  he  shouTd  not  obey  the 
order.  The  Marshal  then  informed  him 
of  his  instructions,  but  he  refused  posi- 
tively to  go,  saying,  "  I'll  resign  first." 

During  this  interview  the  Doctor  was 
stimulated  by  the  unwise  counsel  of  his 


26  .  AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 

wife,  who  repeatedly  assured  him  that 
nothing  serious  would  come  of  the  mat- 
ter. The  Marshal  withdrew  from  the 
scene,  and  in  a  short  time  afterward  a 
guard,  consisting  of  a  lieutenant,  a  ser- 
geant and  four  privates,  confronted  the 
mutinous  Doctor.  After  he  had  reiter- 
ated his  determination  not  to  go,  the 
men  were  directed  to  seize  and  conduct 
him  to  the  steamer,  which  they  did,  re- 
gardless of  the  protestations  of  his  infu- 
riated wife.  Seeing  the  utter  hopelessness 
of  her  case,  she  accepted  the  situation 
and  hastened  to  prepare  herself  for  the 
voyage  with  her  husband,  meanwhile  con- 
soling him  with  the  suggestion  tiat  she 
would  endeavor  to  get  him  assigned  to 
duty  at  District  Headquarters,  vhich,  by 
her  subtle  influence,  she  accomplished. 
She  afterward  boasted  of  it,  and  said 


LADIES  IN   THE  U.  S.  ARMY.  27 


that  any  other  officer  would  have^  been 
tried  for  "  disobedience  of  orders,"  but 
that  s/ie  could  keep  /ler  husband  out  of 
trouble,  and  that  so  long  as  she  had 
that  power,  she  would  not  permit  him 
to  be  used  as  a  target  for  a  band  of 
marauding  savages.  ^ 

This  case  is  related  in  detail  to  dem- 
onstrate the  fact  that  the  ladies  of  the 
Army  do  not  regard  military  duty  as 
paramount  to  domestic  felicity. 

The  morale  of  the  Army  is  seriously 
depreciated  by  the  influence  of  women. 
A  lady  of  fine  social  qualities,  whose 
husband  may  be  an  irredeemable  drunk- 
ard, a  disgrace  to  the  Army,  and  a  fraud 
on  mankind,  insures  his  commission  by 
the  adroit  manipulation  of  her  admirers. 
If  he  stands  condemned  before  a  court- 
martial,  she  may  be  the  means  of  his 


28  AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


salvation.  Her  artfully-planned  suppli- 
cations seldom  fail  to  excite  sympathy 
for  herself,  and  to  restore  her  profligate 
lord  to  all  the  dignity  of  his  former  rank 
and  position.  Thus  the  Nation,  as  well 
as  the  Army,  feels  her  power. 

Junior  officers  frequently  suffer  injus- 
tice from  the  whimsical  arbitration  of 
their  superiors,  and  to  this  is  sometimes 
added  persecution  by  a  vindictive  woman. 
An  instance  may  be  cited  of  an  officer 
stationed  at  Fort  Riley,  Kansas,  who 
had  received  an  order  from  the  Post 
Commander,  granting  him  seven  days' 
leave  of  absence,  with  permission  to  apply 
at  Department  Headquarters  for  an  ex- 
tension of  twenty  days.  The  leave  had 
been  solicited  by  the  officer,  and  the 
order  granting  it  specified  no  conditions, 
but  was  made  in  the  usual  form.  He 


l'adies  in  the  u.  s.  army.  29 

expressed  his  intention  to  spend  the 
leave  in  St.  Louis,  and  of  applying  from 
that  point  for  the  extension.  The  night 
before  his  intended  departure  he  called 
on  several  officers  to  bid  them  "  good- 
bye," and  meeting  agreeable  people,  time 
passed  unnoted  until  it  W3.s  too  late  to 
call  on  the  Commanding  Officer  and  the 
Adjutant.  Before  guard-mount  the  fol- 
lowing morning  these  two  gentlemen  had 
been  informed  that  the  Lieutenant  had 
spent  the  previous  evening  in  paying  his 
parting  respects  to  people  of  the  garri- 
son. The  wufe  of  the  Adjutant  was  furi- 
ous in  her  denunciation  of  the  officer, 
saying  that  his  conduct  was  a  palpable 
insuk  to  her, —  that  he  had  ignored  those 
upon  whom  he  should  call  first,  —  and 
directed  her  husband  to  ask  the  Com- 
manding Officer  to  revoke  the  order  giv- 


30  AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY.' 

ing  the  leave.  He  obeyed  the  mandate, 
and  the  Commandant  dispatched  his  "  or- 
derly "  to  the  railway  station,  with  an 
order  for  the  Lieutenant  to  report  at  his 
office  immediately.  When  the  latter  pre- 
sented himself,  the  offended  dignitary  as- 
sumed a  very  pompous  manner  and  inso- 
lently directed  him  to  make  application 
for  the  extension  of  his  leave  from  that 
Post,  and  to  remain  there  until  a  reply 
was  received.  Before  reaching  his  quar- 
ters the  Lieutenant  met  a  party  of  gen- 
tlemen, of  whom  he  had  taken  leave  the 
night  before,  who  inquired  the  cause  of 
delay.  He  could  not  tell  them;  but  the 
Adjutant,  happening  along  just  then, 
stated  that,  had  the  Lieutenant  called 
upon  the  Commanding  Officer  and  the 
Adjutant,  he  might  have  gone  when  he 
desired." 


CHAPTER  11. 


CASTE  — STAFF  AND  LINE. 

"Order  is  Heaven's  first  law;  and  this  confessed, 
Some  are,  and  must  be,  greater  than  the  rest." 


HERE    is   more   caste  distinction 


JL  among  the  ladies  of  the  Army  than 
among  its  officers.  At  Posts  where  there 
are  many  ladies,  the  garrison  is  invariably 
divided  into  caste  and  ''affinity"  cliques. 
It  is  a  common  thing  for  a  lady  to  carry 
the  rank  of  her  husband  into  the  social 
circle,  barely  recognizing,  in  the  most 
formal  way,  the  wife  of  an  officer  of  lower 
rank.  At  Department  Headquarters 
Posts,  the   parallels  of  distinction  are 


— Pope. 


32 


AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


more  plainly  marked  —  Staff  ladies  not 
fraternizing  generally  with  the  ladies  of 
the  Line.  At  all  times  General  A  meets 
Captain  B  in  an  affable  and  cordial  man- 
ner, regardless  of  rank.  But  when  Mrs. 
General  A  meets  Mrs.  Captain  B,  she 
assumes  an  air  of  superiority  which  is  in- 
compatible with  her  intellectual  accom- 
plishments. Mrs.  Captain  B  realizes  that 
Mrs.  General  A  is  her  inferior  in  every- 
thing that  distinguishes  a  lady,  but  is  too 
polite  to  show  that  she  notices  her  pom- 
posity, and  charitably  covers  it  with  the 
veil  of  submission.  If  an  officer  happens 
to  call  upon  a  lady  below  the  rank  of  Mrs. 
General  A  before  he  has  called  upon  her, 
he  can  never  heal  the  breach.  General 
A  is  directed  to  place  the  offender  on  dis- 
agreeable duty,  and  thus  she  is  avenged. 
When  people  are  exalted  in  their  own 


CASTE  STAFF  AND   LINE.  33 


estimation  by  descent  from  an  illustrious 
ancestry,  and  maintain  their  heritage  by 
nobility  of  character,  we  are  willing  to 
admit  that  there  is  a  reasonableness  in 
their  pride,  and  they  are  elevated  in  our 
eyes  by  the  conditions  which  give  them 
eminence  in  their  own  ;  but  when  people 
who  come  from  the  lowly  walks  of  life, 
without  even  the  prestige  of  distinguished 
ancestry  —  whose  blood  is  so  intricately 
amalgamated  with  the  various  nations  of 
the  earth  that  it  would  be  difficult  to 
trace  it  —  and  by  a  mysterious  freak  of 
fortune  attain  to  a  position  among  cult- 
ured people,  it  would  be  commendable  in 
them  to  cultivate  a  modest  reserve,  rather 
than  to  attempt  to  codify  rules  for  the 
social  government  of  their  superiors. 
The    most   discordant    garrisons  are 

those  comprising  the  greatest  number  of 
3 


34 


AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


ladies.  Jealousies  and  imaginary  slights 
produce  much  of  the  unpleasantness. 
For  instance,  a  lady  from  a  distant  Post 
was  visiting  an  officer's  family  at  Fort 
Riley,  Kansas,  and  a  lady  of  the  garrison, 
desiring  to  extend  her  hospitality  to  the 
fair  visitor,  gave  a  dinner  party,  inviting 
the  stranger  and  a  few  of  her  most  inti- 
mate friends.  Having  packed  away  part 
of  her  dishes,  preparatory  to  a  change  of 
station,  she  called  on  a  neighbor  lady  to 
borrow  some  for  the  occasion.  She  ex- 
plained the  circumstances  and  expressed 
regret  that  limited  facilities  prevented 
the  invitation  of  her  and  others,  but  the 
neighbor  considered  herself  grossly 
slighted,  and  has  ever  since  relentlessly 
persecuted  the  innocent  offender. 

An  unmarried  officer,  domestic  in  his 
habits,  who  seldom  calls  on  the  ladies, 


CASTE  STAFF   AND  LINE.  35 


and  spends  much  time  in  his  quarters,  is 
generally  treated  with  marked  indiffer- 
ence. If  he  should  be  so  unfortunate  as 
to  find  but  one  congenial  lady  at  his  Post, 
and  show  more  attention  to  her  than  to 
the  others,  they  manifest  their  displeas- 
ure by  omitting  to  invite  him  to  partici- 
pate in  their  social  entertainments.  The 
gentleman,  unconscious  of  giving  offense, 
makes  inquiry  of  his  brother  officers,  and 
is  informed  that  Mrs.  A  says  he  never 
called  upon  her  but  once,  and  then  not 
until  after  he  had  visited  all  the  others. 
Another  lady  states  that  he  has  not  yet 
called  upon  her,  and  that  if  he  did  so  at 
this  late  day  she  should  consider  it  a  cold 
compliance  with  custom  rather  than  a 
desire  to  cultivate  her  acquaintance,  and 
therefore  not  feel  honored. 


CHAPTER  III. 


DEGEXERACY   OF  ARMY   SOCIETY  POSSI- 
BILITIES OF  AMERICAN  CIVILIZATION. 

"Where  are  the  !Marys,  and  Anns,  and  Elizas. 
Loving  and  lovely  of  yore  ?  " 


"America  !  Freedom's  blest  abode  ! 
Where  nothing  in  the  civil  code 

Prescribes  a  qualification  I 
Jehu  for  a  sword  his  v,-hip  may  resign  — 
Bridget  may  hold  stock  in  a  silver  mine; 
Jehus  and  Bridgets  in  splendor  may  shine 
In  the  highest  station  !  ^ 

i  GREAT  number  of  ladies  have  mar- 


ried  into  the  Army  since  the  Rebell- 
ion who  do  not  belong  to  that  well-bred 
class  whose  education  and  polish  elevated 
and  rehned  its  society  prior  to  that  event. 


■Oliver  Wexdell  Holmes. 


37 


38 


AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


Many  of  the  modern  Army  ladies  were 
simple,  artless  girls  before  they  sought 
homes  in  the  tented  field,"  but  the  sud- 
den transition  from  a  sphere  wherein 
they  met  the  stern  realities  of  life  with 
brain  and  muscle,  to  one  where  life  seems 
naught  but  sunny  years,  has  completely 
changed  their  disposition.  They  left  be- 
hind 

"The  hopes  and  fears  of  girlhood  years." 

The  metamorphosis  is  probably  attribu- 
table to  the  prospect  of  the  life-long  situ- 
ation of  their  husbands.  They  are  in- 
flated^ with  aristocratic  ideas,  to  which 
they  had  previously  been  utter  strangers. 
Their  thoughts  do  not  range  beyond  the 
shores  of  to-day,  nor  do  they  manifest  a 
desire  for  anything  but  ''brass  buttons," 
costly  dresses,  fine  dinners,  and  flirtations 


DEGENERACY  OF  ARMY   SOCIETY.  39 

with  bachelors.  There  are  those  among 
them  who  make  themselves  conspicuous 
on  all  occasions  by  their  glibness  of 
tongue,  without  regard  to  the  rules  of 
grammar  or  the  laws  of  acoustics. 
Wealth  and  position  do  not  excuse  the 
lack  of  culture,  but  only  tend  to  make  it 
a  reproach.  Neither  can  tinsel,  nor  the 
''pride,  pomp,  and  circumstance  of  glori- 
ous war,"  supply  the  place  of  intellectual 
attainments  and  refined  manners. 

Unprecedented  examples  of  the  ab- 
sence of  maternal  affection  are  common 
in  the  Army.  There  are  affluent  mothers 
of  lar^e  families  who  are  so  imbued  with 
a  love  of  frivolous  gayeties  that  they  de- 
prive themselves  and  their  children  of  the 
advantages  of  civilization,  and  eke  out  an 
uncertain  and  miserable  existence  at  re- 
mote and  isolated  Posts  on  the  frontier, 


40  AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


without  society,  wasting  away  life  in 
prison-like  solitude,  too  selfish  to  leave 
the  Army  long  enough  to  superintend 
the  primary  instruction  of  their  children, 
or  to  have  them  properly  matriculated  in 
an  educational  institution. 

Army  ladies,  as  a  rule,  do  not  consider 
themselves  adapted  for  the  world  which 
others  inhabit,  and  hold  it  to  be  a  com- 
mon right  to  military  people  to  live  only 
within  the  circle  of  the  Army.  It  is  no 
doubt  due  in  a  great  measure  to  this 
spirit  that  Army  society  is  so  exclusive 
with  respect  to  civilians. 

A  bright  lady  correspondent  of  an  Illi- 
nois journal,  commenting  upon  the  possi- 
bilities of  American  civilization  —  which 
permit  one's  own  servant  to  become  too 
grand  a  lady  to  recognize  her  former  mis- 
tress—  cites  a  case  that  came  under  her 


DEGENERACY  OF  ARMY  SOCIETY.  4I 


personal  observation  on  the  occasion  of 
General  Grants  reception  in  Chicago. 
Desirous  of  obtaining  a  good  view  of  the 
hero,  she  took  a  position  near  the  ele- 
vator in  the  hotel  where  he  was  quar- 
tered, that  her  curiosity  might  be  grati- 
fied. She  was  soon  rewarded  by  the 
passage,  within  a  foot  or  two  of  her,  of 
the  honored  guest  of  the  evening,  with  his 
family,  draped  richly  but  plainly  in  even- 
ing costumes,  on  their  way  to  the  recep- 
tion.   She  says  : 

"  Following  immediately  in  their  wake  came  a  be- 
ing, two  beings,  in  fact,  so  resplendent  that  wearied 
eyes  protested  against  so  much  dazzle,  and  shut 
perforce  as  when  gazing  on  the  sun  at  noontide. 
Who  can  these  be  —  these  birds  of  plumage  gay? 
Stragglers,  doubtless,  from  that  flock  of  birds  of 
paradise  w4iich  had  just  taken  flight.  But  no,  the 
Grants,  in  all  their  glory,  were  not  attired  like  one 
of  these.  The  poet's  w^ords  came  to  my  mind, 
'  Gay,  guiltless  pair,  what  seek  ye  from  the  fields  of 


42  AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


heaven?  '  but,  musing  thus,  a  light  dawned  on  me  — 
the  light  of  other  days.  This  gorgeous  creature 
was  once  a  plain,  domestic  fowl,  scratching  for  daily 
bread  in  the  de  mesne  of  the  writer  hereof.  The 
queenly  being,  whose  robes  of  velvet  brushed  so 
closely  the  plain  cashmere  of  her  former  mistress,  is 
now  the  wife  of  a  Captain  in  the  Army,  her  cavalier 
on  the  present  occasion." 

But  let  us  away  from  Chicago  and  its 
gayeties,  and  peep  into  a  ball-room  at  a 
Military  Post  in  Kansas.  Who  is  that 
majestic  lady,  richly  clad,  and  decked  with 
costly  jewels,  sweeping  through  the  mazy 
dance,  her  sparkling  eyes  and  glossy  hair 
blending  harmoniously  with  the  dazzling 
brightness  of  the  chandelier,  and  her  face 
beaming  with  a  winsome  smile  ?  She  ap- 
proaches, and  her  rich  Irish  brogue 
greets  our  ears  as  we  recognize  a  former 
laundress  and  now  a  Captain's  wife  !  For 
the  sake  of  romance,  what  a  pity  she 


DEGENERACY  OF  ARMY  SOCIETY.  43 

could  not  leave  the  evidence  of  her  na- 
tionality in  the  wash-tub  when  she  last 
performed  the  duties  of  her  office  !  Per- 
haps no  one  regrets  this  more  than  she, 
for  sometimes  she  drowns  the  memory  of 
her  origin  in  a  ''wee  dhrap  of  the  cra- 
thur!" 

Now,  to  a  Post  still  farther  west.  A 
lady  and  a  gentleman  are  crossing  the 
parade  ground,  evidently  a  newly  married 
couple  in  the  first  stage  of  their  honey- 
moon. Notwithstanding  it  is  noonday, 
she  holds  one  of  his  hands,  swinging  it 
to  and  fro,  as  they  slowly  advance,  and 
many  faces  are  peering  from  barrack 
windows  and  doors  with  an  eagerness 
which  suggests  that  they  are  reminded 
of  the  girl  they  left  behind  them.  But, 
hold  !  We  are  mistaken  !  It  is  only  a 
little  flirtation  !    The  lady  is  the  wife  of 


44  AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


the  Post  Commander,  and  the  officer  is 
a  bachelor !  Her  rudeness  is  no  doubt 
due  to  a  lack  of  early  training  and 
ignorance  of  the  usages  of  polite  society, 
rather  than  to  conscious  impropriety. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


MARRYING  FOR  POSITION. 

"Maidens,  like  moths,  are  ever  caught  by  gUre." 

— Byron. 

"  Come  sit  thee  down  upon  this  flowery  bed, 
While  I  thy  amiable  cheeks  do  coy. 
And  stick  musk-roses  in  thy  sleek,  smooth  head, 
And  kiss  thy  fair,  large  ears,  my  gentle  joy/' 
— Midsummer  Night's  Dream. 

THE  Army  seems  to  have  a  peculiar 
fascination  for  women.  Gaudy  uni- 
forms excite  the  admiration  of  many  to 
such  a  blinding  degree  that  they  are  in- 
competent to  analyze  the  character  of 
the  persons  who  animate  them.  We  re- 
call the  story  of  the  German  Professor 
who  paced  Monmouth  street,  London, 

45 


46 


AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


worshiping  the  old  clothes  in  the  Jews' 
shops,  thinking  that  as  they  were  purified 
from  the  grossness,  the  sin  and  the 
hypocrisy  they  contained  when  worn  by 
men,  he  could  now  indulge  in  his  devo- 
tions without  fear  of  deceiving  himself 
or  others.  If  the  sentiment  of  the  ladies 
were  as  highly  ideal  as  that  of  the  Pro- 
fessor, and  their  reverence,  like  his,  con- 
fined to  the  "shells  or  outer  husks  of  the 
body,"  their  future  happiness,  in  many 
cases,  vv^ould  be  greatly  enhanced.  The 
luster  of  the  buttons  has  a  charming 
influence,  like  the  light  of  a  serpent's  eye. 
Highly  educated  and  refined  young  ladies 
marry  officers  with  whom,  as  civilians, 
they  would  never  come  in  contact. 
There  may  be  something  noble  and 
patriotic  in  a  fair  lady  giving  herself  to 
a  brave  and  chivalrous  man,  when  all 


MARRYING  FOR  POSITION. 


47 


things  are  equal  ;  but  it  is  painfully 
degrading  for  ladies  of  refinement,  amply 
endowed  with  the  treasures  of  this  world, 
to  become  the  wives  of  foreigners  of  no 
culture  —  men  who  enlisted  as  private 
soldiers  for  occupation,  and  in  the  na- 
tion's emergency  were  commissioned,  but 
who  still  reek  with  the  odor  of  the  ranks, 
and  some  of  them  addicted  to  excesses 
seldom  met  with  in  the  darkest  shades 
of  a  great  city  —  revels  vile  enough  to 
make  midnight  blush  and  hell  ashamed  ; 
foreigners  who,  even  now,  speak  poor, 
broken  English,  and  in  civil  life  would  be 
classed  with  the  section  hands  of  a  rail- 
road. 

"  To  vice  industrious,  but  to  nobler  deeds 
Timorous." 

Such  officers  spend  their  days  in  the 
most  narrow  and  limited  situation  of  life, 


48 


AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


and  have  no  immediate  influence  except 
on  a  small  circle  of  conorenial  friends. 
Every  one  of  this  class  is  not  so  fortu- 
nate as  to  have  a  wife  so  eminently  his 
superior.  Some  marry  within  their  own 
sphere  and  get  women  who  may  have 
done  your  washing  or  scrubbed  your 
floors  in  days  gone  by,  but  who  look 
down  with  pitying  eyes  upon  you  now. 
Rank  is  their  controlling  social  power, 
as  well  as  the  standard  of  their  social 
position.  They  take  no  pleasure  in 
books,  needlework,  or  anything  that 
would  divert  them  from  schemes  of  riot- 
ous living ;  but  it  must  not  be  inferred 
from  this  that  they  are  Epicurean  in  their 
tastes.  However,  there  are  not  a  suffi- 
cient number  of  this  class  to  materially 
affect  the  common  status. 

The  frequent  great  disparity  in  age 


MARRYING  FOR  POSITION.  49 

leads  one  to  suspect  that  position,  rather 
than  affection,  was  the  controlHng  motive 
on  the  part  of  the  ladies  in  these  ill- 
sorted  unions.  "Cupid's  flower"  could 
hardly  make  "  poor  females  "  so  mad  as 
these  outside  of  a  play,.  When  we  see 
a  fair  young  wife  carefully  investing  her 
aged  and  uncongenial  husband's  monthly 
stipend,  vv^ith  a  view  to  accumulation,  is  it 
altogether  base  in  us  to  suspect  that  she 
is  looking  forward  to  a  day  when 

"  No  sound  can  awake  him  to  glory  again,'' 

and  she  will  be  free  to  make  a  selection 
more  compatible  with  her  tastes,  or, 
perhaps,  marry  the  lover  of  her  youth  ? 

4 


CHAPTER  V. 


WHERE  THE   PUBLIC  MONEY  GOES. 
Where  lies  the  power,  there  let  the  blame  lie,  too." 


HE  pressure  of  social  requirements 


-L  causes  much  of  the  money  appro- 
priated by  Congress  for  the  support  of 
the  Army  to  be  squandered  for  levees 
and  entertainments,  and  other  purposes 
not  anticipated  in  the  estimates.  The 
demands  of  the  ladies,  to  keep  the  social 
machinery  in  motion,  take  precedence  of 
all  others. 

A  party  and  "  hop,"  given  at  a  Post  on 
the  frontier,  was  attended  by  officers 
whose  stations  were  hundreds  of  miles 


52 


AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


distant.  They  were  summoned  osten- 
sibly on  official  business,  so  that  their 
transportation  and  hotel  bills,  both  zvays, 
should  be  paid  by  the  United  States. 
This  was  done  at  the  instigation  of  the 

<z> 

Department  Commander's  wife,  seconded 
by  other  ladies  of  the  garrison,  in  order 
to  insure  the  attendance  of  a  large  num- 
ber of  gentlemen.  Their  efforts  brought 
together  thirty-five  officers  and  twenty- 
three  ladies.  This,  too,  at  a  time  when 
the  appropriations  for  the  Army  were 
deficient  several  hundreds  of  thousands 
of  dollars,  and  when  the  public  animals 
serving  in  that  Territory  were  worked 
hard  in  the  field  on  a  starvation  allow- 
ance of  forage,  viz  :  foui^  pOM7ids  of  graiii 
per  day  for  cavalry  horses,  and  three 
pounds  for  mules.  The  following  extract, 
corroborating   this  statement,   is  taken 


WHERE  THE  PUBLIC  MONEY  GOES.  53 


from  an  official  letter  addressed  to  the 
Chief  Quartermaster  of  the  Department 
by  a  Post  Quartermaster,  asking  for  an 
increase  of  forage  for  the  public  animals 
at  his  station  : 

"According  to  existing  orders,  scouting  must  be 
done  by  the  troops  of  this  Command,  and,  to  enable 
them  to  do  it,  the  animals  ought  to  receive  at  least 
two-thirds  of  the  quantity  of  hay  allowed  by  law, 
and  three-fourths  of  the  allowance  of  grain.  Four 
pounds  of  grain  per  day  for  horses  so  poor  and 
jaded,  and  worked  hard,  are  insufficient." 

Large  sums  of  money  are  expended 
for  constructing  and  altering  buildings 
to  make  them  conform  to  the  ideas  of 
affectedly-fastidious  ladies.  This  source 
of  expenditure  is  of  greater  magnitude 
than  may  be  inferred  from  the  mere 
mention  of  the  fact.  It  sometimes  com- 
prises the  changing  of  plans  and  specifi- 
cations for  new  buildings  after  they  have 


54 


AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


been  approved  by  the  Secretary  of  War. 
All  the  quarters  at  Fort  Hays,  Kansas, 
were  not  constructed  accordine  to  the 
''approved"  plans.  An  officer  was  once 
detailed  to  furnish  the  Quartermaster- 
General  drawings  showing  the  ground- 
plan,  front  elevation,  and  a  vertical  sec- 
tion of  the  buildings  of  that  Post,  and 
when  the  first  one  was  completed  the 
Commanding  Officer  examined  it  and 
said,  ''You  must  not  make  such  pretty 
pictures !  The  Quartermaster-General 
will  think  our  houses  are  too  fine  for  the 
Plains,  and  will  blow  us  up  for  extrava- 
gance ! "  The  drawings  were  accurate 
likenesses,  having  been  made  from  actual 
measurement  drawn  to  scale,  and  the 
Commandant  need  not  have  feared  in- 
spection if  he  had  not  allowed  the  modi- 
fications and  alterations  which  were  sug- 


WHERE  THE  PUBLIC  MONEY  GOES.  55 

gested  by  the  ladies  who  expected  to 
occupy  the  houses. 

The  beauty  and  chivalry  of  that  Post, 
like  the  fraternity  elsewhere,  were  desir- 
ous of  having  a  suitable  place  to  meet 

To  chase  the  glowing  hours  with  flying  feet;  " 

but  as  the  Terpsichorean  art  was  not 
prescribed  by  the  Army  Regulations,  no 
appropriation  could  be  properly  solicited 
or  made  for  the  construction  of  a  dance- 
hall.  Lack  of  funds,  however,  was  no 
obstacle  to  the  combined  ingenuity  of 
that  garrison.  A  bright  lady  present  al- 
luded to  the  fact  that  that  Post  had  a 
Chaplain,  but  no  chapel,  and  that  Fort 
Marker,  Kansas,  had  been  abandoned, 
and  suggested  that  application  be  made 
to  the  War  Department  for  permission  to 
remove  a  house  from  the  latter  Post  to 


56  AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 

Fort  Hays  for  a  chapel.  The  officers 
adopted  this  philanthropic  lady's  plan, 
and  immediately  made  application  in  ac- 
cordance therewith.  The  Hon.  Secretary 
of  War  was  much  pleased  with  the  chris- 
tian spirit  manifested  by  the  people  of 
Fort  Hays  in  thus  desiring  to  do  some- 
thing for  the  redemption  of  man  from  his 
lamentable  and  fallen  condition.  They 
could  not  reach  his  heart  so  readily  with 
any  other  appeal.  Feeling  that  he,  too, 
might  aid  in  ameliorating  the  condition 
of  human  souls  and  promote  Christianity, 
by  furnishing  the  means  through  which 
the  gospel  might  reach  the  ears  of  thou- 
sands of  weary  pilgrims,  he  was  extremely 
happy  to  grant  their  request,  believing 
that, 

"With  some  regard  to  what  is  just  and  right 
They'll  lead  their  lives." 


WHERE  THE   PUBLIC   MONEY  GOES.  57 

After  his  approval  was  obtained,  work- 
men were  sent  to  Fort  Harker  to  take 
down  a  barrack  building  one  hundred 
and  five  feet  in  length,  which  was  shipped 
to  Fort  Hays,  at  great  expense,  where  it 
was  reconstructed  on  a  new  plan.  Twen- 
ty-five feet  were  partitioned  off  for  the 
worship  of  the  Lord,  and  the  remaining 
eighty  feet  constituted  a  room  for  danc- 
inof,  theatrical  and  other  amusements. 
The  Post  Council  of  Administration  then 
appropriated  money  from  the  Post  Fund 
to  furnish  the  Chapel ;  and,  as  the  entire 
building  was  known  and  designated  as 
"The  Chapel,"  it  was  not  considered  a 
misapplication  of  funds  to  furnish  both 
rooms,  nothwithstanding  the  Post  Fund 
is  made  from  the  proceeds  of  the  sale  of 
fiour  withheld  from  the  soldiers'  rations. 
A  few  cheap,  unpainted  benches,  such  as 


58  AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


are  used  in  country  school-houses,  and  a 
pulpit  about  the  size  and  shape  of  a  bee- 
hive, comprised  the  furniture  of  the  room 
set  apart  for  divine  worship.  The  other 
room  was  more  elaborately  furnished. 
On  the  end  adjoining  the  Chapel  was  a 
stage  that  would  have  done  credit  to 
a  first-class  minstrel  hall,  having  foot- 
lights, drop-curtain,  wings,  scenery,  and 
all  the  appliances  necessary  for  its  pur- 
pose. Pretty  chandeliers  lighted  this 
room,  and  flags,  guidons  and  mottoes 
decorated  its  ceiline  and  walls.  A  door 
opened  onto  the  stage,  which  made  the 
Chapel  convenient  for  a  green-room  on 
occasions  of  theatrical  entertainments, 
and  for  a  cloak-room  when  "  hops  "  were 
given  ;  and  it  is  thought  that  the  ladies 
had  this  in  view  when  they  suggested 
the  plan  of  construction. 


WHERE  THE   PUBLIC  MONEY  GOES.  59 

The  only  official  protest  the  author 
ever  heard  expressed  against  the  use  of 
the  Post  Fund  for  anything  the  ladies 
desired  was  that  of  a  grouty  old  cavalry- 
man, whose  wrinkled  front  grim-visaged 
war"  had  not  smoothed.  He  was  a 
member  of  a  Council  of  Administration 
when  a  colleague  proposed  to  make  an 
appropriation  for  the  purchase  of  an 
organ  for  the  above  Chapel.  When  this 
proposition  was  made,  the  angry  Captain 
sprang  to  his  feet  and  said: 

I  protest  against  the  expenditure  of 
the  Post  Fund  for  any  such  nonsense. 
My  men  are  now  half  starved  to  support 
a  band  they  seldom  hear,  and  I  will  not 
consent  to  the  purchase  of  an  organ  for 
the  Sunday  entertainment  of  the  non- 
combatants.  I  demand  more  bread  and 
less  music  for  my  men  ! " 


CHAPTER  VI. 


THE  POWER   BEHIND  THE  THRONE. 

"  Mars  deposed,  and  arms  to  gowns  made  yield." 

— Dryden. 

THE  ladies  do  not  only  manipulate 
the  social  affairs  of  the  Army,  but 
they  are  the  power  behind  the  throne 
which  directs  the  administration  of  much 
of  the  official  business.  There  is  always 
an  Egeria  to  dictate,  but,  not  being  of 
celestial  origin,  her  oracles  are  not  infalli- 
ble. The  garrison  of  Headquarters  Posts 
is  selected  by  the  wife  of  the  Command- 
ing Officer,  when  the  number  of  troops 
required  is  less  than  a  regiment.  She 
designates  the  companies  whose  officers 

6i 


62 


AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


are  the  most  agreeable  to  her.  Gentlemen 
who  are  so  unfortunate  as  to  incur  her 
displeasure  are  put  upon  detached  service 
that  will  take  them  away  from  the  Post ; 
or,  their  company  is  exchanged  for  one 
whose  officers  are  more  congenial  to  her, 
and  who  are  willing  to  bend  the  supple 
knee  that  thrift  may  follow  fawning." 
If  the  commander  be  a  widower  or  bache- 
lor, the  selection  is  made  by  the  lady 
whose  favorite  he  is  for  the  time  being,  as 
gallantry  forbids  that  he  should  choose  a 
garrison  objectionable  in  any  degree  to 
one  who  is  so  preeminently  correct  in  her 
estimate  of  intellectual  power  and  refine- 
ment, and  so  capable  of  selecting  a  society 
adapted  to  all  the  ends  of  elegant  inter- 
course. He  is  simply  her  executive,  and 
through  him  she  persecutes  with  an  excess 
of  onerous  and  unpleasant  duties  all  offi- 


THE  POWER  BEHIND  THE  THRONE.  63 

cers  who  are  unwilling  to  "  bow  and  sue 
for  grace." 

At  a  station  in  one  of  the  Territories, 
the  Commandant,  in  the  presence  of  his 
wife,  directed  his  Adjutant  to  detail  an 
officer  and  twenty  men  for  service  in  the 
field,  and,  after  receiving  a  synopsis  of 
the  duties  required  of  the  party,  the 
Adjutant  started  for  his  office  to  issue 
the  necessary  order,  when  the  lady  said 

to  him,     Put  Lieut.   on  that  detail 

— I  want  to  get  him  away  from  the  Post ; 
and  if  he  don't  get  killed,  perhaps  he 
will  be  more  respectful  when  he  returns." 
Soon  afterward,  the  Adjutant  ascertained 
that  this  was  a  measure  for  revenge  ;  that 
a  day  or  two  previous  she  was  outwitted 
by  the  Lieutenant  in  vulgar  repartee. 

Even  a  laundress  has  been  known  to 
have  sufficient  influence  to  retain  a  com- 


64  AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 

pany  at  its  station  nearly  all  of  one  sum- 
mer, though  the  Post  Commander  had 
orders  from  Department  Headquarters  to 
alternate  it  with  another  company  in  the 
performance  of  a  specific  duty.  She  had 
formerly  been  a  trusted  servant  in  his 
family,  thus  obtaining  a  prestige  that  in- 
sured any  favor  she  might  solicit.  Her 
influence  was  used  in  this  instance  to 
keep  her  husband,  who  was  First  Sergeant 
of  the  troop,  out  of  the  field.  When  the 
Captain  of  the  favored  company  was  asked 
how  he  managed  to  remain  in  camp,  he 
replied,  with  a  knowing  wink,  Every 
Captain  hasn't  a  laundress  at  Headquar- 
ters." 


CHAPTER  VII. 


INTEMPERANCE. 

Hey  down  derry, 

We'll  drink  and  be  merry, 

In  spite  of  Mahomet's  law." 

IT  is  incomprehensibly  strange  that  so 
many  ladies  yield  to  the  demoralizing 
influences  of  the  Army  without  any  ap- 
parent compunctions,  and  really  seem  to 
covet  the  attention  of  profligate  sons  of 
Mars,  who,  in  civil  life,  would  be  pro- 
nounced fit  subjects  for  an  inebriate 
asylum.  They  frequently  bestov/  their 
smiles  and  approving  glances  upon  the 
debauches  who  show  the  least  regard  for 
the  proprieties  of   refined  society,  and 

5  65 


66  AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


even  participate  in  the  Bacchanalian 
revels  so  common  at  Military  Posts,  lend- 
ing their  voices  to  swell  the  chorus  of 
"Benny  Havens,  oh!"  Plaudit  and  ap- 
probation from  so  exalted  a  source  have  an 
irresistible  influence  upon  the  young  offi- 
cer fresh  from  the  Academy,  and  he  soon 
abandons  those  habits  of  morality  which 
were  acquired  by  years  of  rigid  disci- 
pline. 

It  is  customary  for  Army  ladies  to  use 
stimulants,  but  excesses  are  exceptional. 
When  one  of  them  does  cross  the  Rubi- 
con, it  is  for  a  good  time  generally.  Some 
of  these  convivialities  are  enjoyed  by  gen- 
tlemen and  ladies  together,  in  a  quiet  way, 
as  an  episode  to  a  dinner,  or  as  a  sort  of 
interlude  to  a  card  party.  There  are  also 
informal  occasions,  which  are  often  bois- 
terous, as  when  a  member  of  a  garrison 


INTEMPERANCE. 


67 


is  about  to  depart  on  a  protracted  "  leave," 
or  for  permanent  absence.  For  instance, 
we  recall  the  leave-taking  of  a  Post  Com- 
mander stationed  in  one  of  the  Territories. 
The  ladies  and  officers  of  the  Post  assem- 
bled at  his  quarters  to  pay  their  parting 
respects  to  him  and  his  wife.  It  was  the 
unanimous  desire  to  give  them  a  good 
send-off,  and  in  order  to  make  it  more 
enthusiastic,  the  host  himself  provided  a 
liberal  supply  of  wine  and  other  bever- 
ages. After  several  songs  had  been  sung, 
and  toasts  given  and  responded  to,  the 
guests  joined  in  an  aboriginal /'^i"  de  deux, 
called  "  War  Dance,"  which  would  have 
done  credit  to  an  Apache  tiswin  party. 
They  kept  time  to  their  hideous  chant 
by  spasmodic  jerks  of  their  bodies,  as 
they  hopped  around  the  room  in  a  circle, 
alternating  the  foot  every  hop.    The  di- 


68 


AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


sheveled  hair,flushed  cheeks, drooping  eye- 
lids, and  high-stepping  of  the  ladies,  were 
the  first  visible  effects  of  the  wine.  When 
the  celebration  had  reached  its  zenith,  the 
hostess,  who  had  been  over-zealous  in  her 
efforts  to  make  this  a  memorable  event, 
sank  ungracefully  into  a  shapeless  mass 
upon  a  lounge,  her  spinal  column  having 
failed  to  perform  its  function. 

"  Her  look  exceeded  her  figure." 

Though  her  physical  anatomy  had  suc- 
cumbed, she  still  had  partial  control  of 
her  mental  faculties,  and  being  actuated 
by  the  same  spirit  of  hospitality  she  had 
manifested  throuo^hout  the  occasion,  she 
turned  her  head  so  as  to  bring  the  eye 
which  was  the  least  oblivious  to  bear 
upon  the  party,  which  she  scanned  to 
ascertain  if  all  were  helped,  as  they  were 


INTEMPERANCE.  69 

about  to  drink  ;  and  seeing  that  everyone 
had  a  glass  in  hand  except  the  Adjutant, 
she  directed  her  husband,  who  was  almost 
helplessly  drunk,  to  wait  upon  that  officer. 
While  the  others  were  drinkino-  she  ob- 
served  that  the  Adjutant  placed  his  glass 
upon  the  mantel-piece  without  tasting  its 
contents.  This  she  construed  into  an 
act  of  disrespect,  and,  becoming  exasper- 
ated almost  beyond  control,  her  language 
and  manner  would  have  intimidated  a 
man  of  less  nerve. 

In  civilian  circles  there  are  sometimes 
found  ladies  who  drink  to  excess,  but 
prefer  to  be  exclusive  and  indulge  their 
bibulous  propensities  without  company. 
The  Army  has  no  immunity  from  the 
evils  which  afflict  civilian  society,  and 
therefore  has  its  proportional  share  of 
that  class  of  inebriates.    Two  examples 


70  AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


may  be  mentioned  of  ladies  who  aim  to 
be  very  exclusive  on  the  occasions  of 
their  dissipation,  but  sometimes  lose  con- 
trol of  themselves  and  gain  notorious 
publicity.  One,  a  cultivated  lady  of  high 
social  standing,  is  preeminently  dignified 
and  fastidious  when  under  the  influence 
of  liquor,  and  the  peculiarity  which  marks 
her  case  is  a  mania  for  visiting  restau- 
rants,  where  she  can  have  her  brandy 
and  food  served  too;ether.  The  other 
is  a  woman  of  no  culture,  and  her  case 
may  be  given  more  in  detail,  as  showing 
the  effect  of  intoxicants  on  a  sanguine 
temperament.  She  once  became  intoxi- 
cated and  visited  several  persons  with 
whom  she  was  displeased,  threatened 
them  with  annihilation,  and  used  profane 
and  blasphemous  language  on  the  parade 
ground,  where  she  was  seen  and  heard 


INTEMPERANCE. 


71 


by  the  officers  and  the  enlisted  men  of 
the  entire  command.  She  has  since 
broken  the  monotony  of  several  Posts 
by  similar  crusades.  Alcohol  has  stifled 
her  sense  of  shame,  and,  as  the  ocean 
wave  washes  away  idle  tracings  in  the 
sands  of  the  shore,  so  intemperance  has 
obliterated  all  characteristics  of  true 
womanhood. 

It  has  been  a  common  thing  for  the 
ladies  of  a  Post  in  Kansas  to  accom- 
pany their  husbands  to  the  trader's  store 
to  play  billiards  and  imbibe  wine  and 
beer.  This,  too,  in  a  room  separated 
only  by  a  thin  partition  from  the  one 
provided  for  the  enlisted  men.  The  par- 
tition does  not  extend  to  the  ceiling, 
and  over  the  top  of  it  comes  the  vilest 
billingsgate  from  the  mouths  of  drunken 
men  of  the  lowest  type.  Frequenting 


72 


AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


this  saloon  has  been  considered,  until 
recently,  a  privilege  of  the  officers  only. 
The  ladies  claim  that  the}/  made  the  in- 
novation in  self-defense,  as  their  hus- 
bands spent  most  of  their  time  there ; 
and  that,  as  the  Constitution  of  the 
United  States  regards  the  pursuit  of  hap- 
piness as  much  the  prerogative  of  women 
as  of  men,  they  will  vindicate  their  rights 
at  the  trader's  bar  rather  than  at  the 
"caudle."  This  practice  also  prevails  at 
some  Posts  in  the  Territories,  but  the 
billiard-room  is  usually  more  remote  from 
the  common  bar-room. 

In  the  higher  walks  of  civilian  society, 
do  ladies  accompany  their  husbands  to 
billiard  and  liquor  saloons?  Such  an  act 
would  entail  reproach  upon  them  indi- 
vidually ;  but  a  particular  society,  like 


INTEMPERANCE. 


73 


the  Army,  is  affected  collectively  by  the 
questionable  practices  of  a  few. 

The  ladies  of  the  Army  have  a  wide 
field  for  the  exercise  of  beneficent  influ- 
ence, and  if  those  whose  husbands  rank 
high  would  eschew  wine  on  all  occasions, 
and  ignore  all  persons  addicted  to  its 
use,  their  example  would  be  followed  by 
the  wives  of  subordinates  as  a  matter  of 
policy,  and  the  evil  of  intemperance  would 
soon  disappear  from  the  Army.  The  true 
excellence  and  importance  of  ladies  who 
display  themselves  morally  and  intellect- 
ually may  be  seen  in  the  great  influence 
wdiich  they  exert  on  the  character  of  the 
immediate  circle  in  which  they  move. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


FREEDOM  OF  MANNERS. 

Free  thought  that  scorns  control/' 

— Trumbull. 

THERE  is  a  freedom  of  manners 
among  the  ladies  of  the  Army  that 
does  not  obtain  in  the  best  civiHan  so- 
ciety. This  may  be  attributed  to  their  ex- 
clusive mode  of  life,  and  to  the  common 
belief  that  the  officers  are  all  Chevalier 
Bayards.  This  is,  in  some  respects,  a  pleas- 
ant feature  of  Army  life.  Married  ladies 
may  accept  costly  presents  and  receive 
little  attentions  and  visits  from  ao^reeable 
bachelors  without  provoking  the  jealousy 
of  their  husbands  or  offending^  the  oren- 

75 


76  AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY, 


eral  sense  of  propriety.  It  is  a  recog- 
nized privilege  of  an  A.rmy  lady  to  call 
upon  any  officer  for  a  favor  in  the  ab- 
sence of  her  husband.  The  wife  of  an 
officer  of  highest  rank,  accompanied  by 
a  lady  friend,  stops  her  carriage  in  front 
of  his  Headquarters,  and,  perceiving  that 
the  sidewalks  are  icy  and  slippery,  asks  a 
gentleman,  who  has  just  emerged  from 
the  doorway,  to  assist  them  in  alighting. 
She  being  rather  portly,  and  the  gentle- 
man small,  and  an  invalid  at  the  time,  the 
undertaking  involved  more  than  ordinary 
courage.  They  went  slipping  and  sliding 
at  the  imminent  peril  of  both,  and,  not- 
withstanding the  preponderance  of  rank, 
and  the  smiling  faces  at  the  windows 
above  them,  he  performed  the  service  to 
the  satisfaction  of  all  concerned.  The 
gentleman  was  unknown  at  the  time  to 


FREEDOM   OF  MANNERS. 


77 


the  distinguished  lady  who  made  the  re- 
quest, but,  when  thanking  him  for  the 
service  he  had  rendered,  she  said  that, 
seeing  he  was  an  officer  of  the  Army,  she 
felt  at  liberty  to  call  itpon  him. 

This  Hcense  is  often  abused,  the  free- 
dom of  conduct  evincing  a  lack  of  that 
thought  which  characterizes  propriety, 
and  which  is  never  met  with  among 
cultivated  civilians.  Whatever  may  be 
the  merit  of  Army  ladies  in  other  re- 
spects, there  is  often  a  painful  absence  of 
that  delicate  bloom  of  tenderness  and 
refinement  which  mark  the  true  woman 
in  all  the  varied  circumstances  of  life. 
Perversion  of  manners  from  their  wonted 
simplicity  stamps  Army  society  with  a 
peculiarity  seldom  found  among  people 
who  assume  to  have  reached  the  acme  of 
social  attainment,    Now  and  then  some 


78 


AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


circumstance  or  other  irresistibly  recalls 
our  attention  to  this  point,  A  very  ac- 
complished and  highly  connected  lady, 
with  French  ditties  on  her  tongue  and  mu- 
sic  in  her  fingers,  once  visited  a  Military 
Post  in  Kansas  and  made  such  a  brilliant 
display  of  her  talents  that  she  turned  the 
heads  of  half  a  dozen  gentlemen,  old  and 
young,  who  were  simultaneously  inspired 
with  a  desire  to  possess  this  bird  of  sweet 
song.  A  lively  rivalry  ensued,  which  she 
terminated  by  giving  her  hand  to  the  one 
whose  position  would  afford  her  the 
greatest  latitude  to  gratify  a  penchant 
for  parading  her  accomplishments.  The 
vicissitudes  of  Army  life  soon  afterward 
scattered  the  garrison  to  different  parts 
of  the  frontier,  taking  this  lady  to  a  re- 
mote Post.  About  two  years  afterward 
she  returned  to  the  scene  of  her  conquest 


FREEDOM  OF  MANNERS. 


79 


on  a  visit,  where  she  met  one  of  her  for- 
mer admirers,  who  was  again  stationed 
there.  The  accommodations  of  her  host- 
ess were  somewhat  limited,  and,  upon  the 
arrival  of  other  guests,  she  feigned  sick- 
ness, and  was  tendered  the  hospitality  of 
the  other  ladies  of  the  Post,  but  persist- 
ently declined  their  offers  and  accepted  a 
room  in  the  quarters  of  the  admirer  al- 
luded to,  who  was  still  a  bachelor.  The 
Post  Surgeon,  who  was  a  gentleman  of 
the  highest  integrity,  was  then  sent  for, 
and  the  lady's  perfectly  healthy  condition 
revealed  to  him  the  subterfuge,  to  which 
he  declined  to  become  a  party,  and  re- 
fused to  treat  her.  However,  she  did 
not  suffer  for  attention.  Meals  were  sent 
to  her  from  the  Officers'  Mess,  and  the 
bachelor  in  whose  care  she  had  placed 
herself  was  employed  night  and  day  in 


8o 


AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


the  preparation  of  beef  tea  and  tonic  de- 
coctions. Here  she  held  her  little  court, 
all  the  bachelors  and  some  of  the  married 
gentlemen  nightly  gathering  at  her  bed- 
side, smoking  and  drinking,  and  enter- 
taining her  with  songs.  Madame  de  Stael, 
surrounded  by  the  most  distinguished 
men  of  her  time,  discussing  literature, 
politics  and  philosophy,  was  not  happier 
than  this  woman,  who  exclaimed,  on  one 
of  these  occasions,  "  I'm  in  my  glory 
now!"  Her  husband,  hearing  of  her 
"  indisposition,"  came  and  took  her  back 
to  his  station.  As  soon  as  she  boarded 
the  train,  early  in  the  afternoon,  she 
asked  to  have  her  berth  prepared,  so  that 
she  could  lie  down.  There  was  a  bach- 
elor officer  on  the  train,  destined  for  the 
same  Post,  who  happened  to  occupy  the 
adjoining  section.    While  reclining  upon 


FREEDOM   OF  MANNERS. 


8i 


her  bed,  she  called  him  to  her  and  re- 
quested him  to  remove  her  boot  and 
ascertain  if  there  was  not  a  sand-burr  in 
it,  or  sticking  to  her  stocking,  as  some- 
thing was  pricking  her  foot.  [The  pa- 
rade-ground of  the  Post  she  had  just  left 
was  covered  with  Qrrass  which  bore  a 
small  burr,  about  which  the  ladies  had 
frequently  complained  because  they  ad- 
hered to  their  skirts  and  stockings,  and 
sometimes  even  got  into  their  boots.] 
Two  perfect  specimens  of  the  genus  Old 
Maid  occupied  the  section  opposite  this 
lady,  and  as  her  manners  were  quite  new 
and  strange  to  them,  they  gazed  at  her 
with  inquisitive  and  undivided  attention 
from  the  moment  she  entered  the  car. 
Their  demure  faces  grew  long  and  bore 
an  expression  of  horror  when  she  asked 
the  officer  to  remove  her  boot  and  look 

6 


82 


AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


for  the  sand-burr.  They  looked  on  with 
''sad  but  curious  view"  until  the  report 
of  the  search  was  rendered,  when  they 
directed  the  porter  to  prepare  their  bed 
immediately.  When  it  was  ready,  they 
disappeared  behind  the  curtain  as  if  mak- 
ing their  exit  from  impending  danger.  It 
is  needless  to  add  that,  after  diligent 
search,  the  offending  burr  was  not  found, 
but  the  little  foot  and  neatly  turned  ankle 
were  sufficiently  admired  to  alleviate  her 
pain. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


AMUSEMENTS.  DRESS. 

*'By  sports  like  these  are  all  their  cares  beguiled." 

— Goldsmith. 

"Is  it  not  to  clothes  that  most  men  do  reverence?" 

— Sartor  Resartus. 

THE  contingencies  of  Army  life  — 
parting  agreeable  acquaintances 
and  sundering  the  ties  of  friendship  — 
separating  loved  ones  for  a  season,  and 
often  forever  —  might  lead  the  unin- 
formed to  think  that  it  is  enshrouded  in 
perpetual  gloom  ;  that  ladies,  whose  lives 
are  frequently  imperiled  by  the  raids  of 
savages  while  their  husbands  are  engaged 

in  mortal  combat  on  distant  fields,  would 

83 


Sa  AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 

be  sad,  melancholy  and  prayerful.  On 
the  contrary,  they  are  peculiarly  gay  and 
light-hearted,  taking  advantage  of  every 
opportunity  for  enjoyment,  regarding  all 
occasions  and  circumstances  as  favorable 
for 

"  Sport  that  wrinkled  care  derides/' 

They  have  a  happy  faculty  for  recon- 
ciling the  most  chaotic  mixture  of  ma- 
ternal  and  domestic  duties,  and  blending 
them  in  perfect  harmony  with  anything 
that  is  frolicsome.    Their  creed  is, 

"A  merry  heart  goes  all  the  day, 
Your  sad  tires  in  a  mile-a." 

The  writer  once  arrived  at  a  Post  and 
learned  that  the  officers  and  ladies  were 
holding  a  picnic  at  a  point  about  five 
miles  distant.  He  proceeded  to  the 
place,  and,  finding  the  party  engaged  in 
dancing,  went  into  the  shade  of  a  friendly 


AMUSEMENTS  


DRESS. 


85 


tree  to  rest  and  enjoy  the  happy  scene 
before  him.  Perceiving  a  small  bundle, 
apparently  ladies'  wraps,  in  a  convenient 
location,  he  was  about  to  drop  his  weary 
body  upon  it,  when  a  lady  rushed  fran- 
tically from  the  midst  of  a  whirling  circle 
of  dancers,  and,  with  uplifted  hands, 
shouted  at  the  top  of  her  voice,  Don't 
sit  on  my  baby,  you'll  kill  it!"  Aston- 
ished, he  suddenly  straightened  and 
looked  behind  him,  and  sure  enough,  the 
bundle  was  writhinor  and  twistinof  as  if 
something  within  were  endeavoring  to 
extricate  itself.  The  lady  laughed  heart- 
ily as  she  took  from  the  roll  a  babe  about 
six  weeks  old  ! 

The  same  gentleman  accompanied  a 
party  of  ladies  and  officers  to  a  camp  of 
Indian  scouts,  one  evening,  to  witness 
a  genuine  war  dance.     The  frightfully 


86 


AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


painted  faces  of  the  warriors,  rendered 
more  hideous  by  the  dim  light  of  the  fire 
around  which  the  dance  began,  and  their 
wild  chant  and  cadenced  step,  presented 
a  picture  of  savage  delight  that  was  both 
interesting  and  terrifying  to  those  not 
familiar  with  such  scenes.  When  the 
Indians  became  thoroughly  warmed  and 
excited,  the  ladies  and  some  of  the  gen- 
tlemen left  the  group  of  spectators  and 
joined  in  the  dance.  The  scouts  re- 
garded the  participation  of  the  "  white 
squaws "  as  an  omen  of  success  in  the 
next  expedition  against  the  hostiles. 
The  intermittent  firing  of  their  rifles 
now  became  a  deafening  fusillade.  They 
danced  faster  and  chanted  louder  than 
before,  and  it  was  not  long  until  the 
entire  party  was  hidden  in  a  smudge  that 
recalled  a  dog-fight  in  a  dusty  road. 


AMUSEMENTS  


DRESS. 


87 


The  officers  are  constantly  devising 
ways  and  means  for  the  diversion  and 
amusement  of  the  ladies ;  and  they  seem 
to  be  actuated  by  the  same  spirit  that 
made  gladiatorial  human  butchery  neces- 
sary for  the  perfection  of  a  Roman  holi- 
day, as  they  do  not  hesitate  to  risk  life 
or  limb  to  accomplish  their  object.  And 
our  Government  is  so  eenerous  and  P:al- 

o  o 

lant  that  it  places  upon  the  "  Retired 
List"  officers  who  become  incapacitated 
for  active  service  by  wounds  or  fractures 
received  in  this  way,  construing  such 
noble  self-sacrifice  as  comino-  within  the 
"line  of  duty";  it  makes  no  distinction 
between  the  bullet-riddled  veteran  and 
the  young  officer  who  cracks  his  patella 
in  attempting  a  summersault  for  the  edi- 
fication of  the  ladies. 

In  the  matter  of  dress,  the  ladies  of 


88  AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


the  Army  do  not  differ  materially  from 
their  sisters  elsewhere.  To  wear  clothes 
wisely  and  well  seems  to  be  the  chief  aim 
in  life  of  many.  No  sacrifice  is  too  great 
for  them,  even  to  the  extent  of  involvinor 
their  husbands  in  debt  beyond  the  reach 
of  their  salaries.  Costly  fabrics  are  not 
always  the  principal  item  of  expense,  as 
when  a  lady  pays  four  dollars  for  mate- 
rial, and  sixteen  dollars  to  a  modiste  for 
makina  it  into  a  dress.  Comfort  and 
health  are  regarded  as  bodily  pleasures 
too  gross  to  be  considered  in  the  pres- 
ence of  such  a  subject.  Many  resolutely 
brave  the  bitter  cold  of  winter  with  half- 
clad  head  and  shoulders  rather  than  lose 
any  effect  of  the  toilet.  The  Hindoo 
devotee,  who  remains  in  one  position 
until  his  joints  are  stiffened,  is  scarcely 
more  deprived  of  bodily  freedom  than 


AMUSEMENTS  DRESS.  89 

the  well-trained  Army  belle,  whose  con- 
ventional dress  requires  the  abandon- 
ment of  every  free  and  natural  move- 
ment. The  human  form  divine  is  forced 
into  the  most  distorted  shapes  to  accom- 
modate it  to  garments  sufficiently  small 
to  be  considered  orthodox.  The  dusky 
squaw,  arrayed  in  her  red  blanket  and 
beads  and  bangles,  exhibits  no  more 
strongly  her  inherent  love  of  decoration 
than  does  her  pale-faced  sister  who  often 
sacrifices  her  sense  of  good  taste  and 
her  love  of  the  beautiful  in  obedience  to 
the  mandates  of  fashion.  We  would  not, 
however,  speak  disparagingly  of  dress. 
It  not  only  embellishes  those  with  whom 
nature  has  dealt  sparingly,  but  it  imparts 
additional  charms  to  the  handsome  face 
and  form.  Dress  has  advantages  pos- 
sessed by  no  other  external  feature  —  it 


90 


AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


secures  favor  and  attention  where  poor 
attire  even  begs  for  civility.  An  Army 
Surgeon  was  once  returning  to  Fort 
Dodge,  Kansas,  from  detached  service, 
via  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe 
Railroad,  and,  after  the  train  had  passed 
through  the  more  thickly  settled  parts  of 
the  country,  there  were  no  passengers 
remaining  on  board  except  those  des- 
tined for  remote  points  on  the  frontier. 
Among  them  was  a  tall,  finely  dressed 
woman,  evidentlv  traveling  alone.  Her 
appearance  attracted  the  attention  of  the 
Surgeon,  who  thought  such  elegance  so 
far  from  civilization  must  necessarily 
belong  to  the  Army,  and  being  delighted 
with  the  prospect  of  terminating  his 
journey  more  pleasantly  than  it  began, 
he  acted  upon  this  presumption  and 
introduced  himself.    Upon  learning  her 


AMUSEMENTS  


DRESS. 


91 


name;  and  that  she  was  going  to  Fort 
Dodge  to  join  her  husband,  then  en 
route  to  that  Post  with  troops  from  Fort 
Hays,  he  congratulated  himself  upon  the 
accuracy  of  his  perception,  and  gallantly 
placed  himself  at  her  service.  He  ex- 
pressed himself  delighted  with  the  acqui- 
sition of  herself  and  husband  to  the 
garrison,  and  assured  her  that  the  ladies 
and  gentlemen  would  feel  highly  honored 
in  extending  to  them  a  cordial  welcome. 
Not  beinor  accustomed  to  little  attentions 
and  courtesies  from  so  exalted  a  source, 
she  looked  upon  the  chivalrous  Surgeon 
with  suspicion,  and  assumed  a  dignified 
reticence,  which  only  added  vigor  to  his 
efforts  to  get  better  acquainted.  Mis- 
taking reserve  and  diffidence  for  fatigue, 
he  pulled  off  his  overcoat,  folded  it  into 
a   convenient   shape    for  a  pillow,  and 


92 


AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


offered  it  to  her,  but  she  modestly  de- 
clined it.  The  indefatigable  Surgeon 
was  at  last  highly  gratified  when  she 
condescended  to  accept  a  glass  of  water. 
His  success  in  finally  getting  into  her 
eood  orraces  so  mixed  his  zeal  and  enthu- 
siasm  that,  in  the  attempt  to  procure  the 
water,  he  stumbled  over  several  lunch 
baskets  and  satchels,  and  whatever  else 
came  in  his  way,  much  to  the  annoyance 
of  his  fellow-passengers.  She  maintained 
the  same  demeanor  throughout  the  jour- 
ney, which  only  strengthened  his  first 
impressions  and  increased  the  ardor  of 
his  attentions.  When  they  arrived  at 
Dodge  City,  supposing  the  lady  was 
going  directly  to  the  Fort,  which  was  five 
miles  from  the  railway  station,  he  offered 
her  the  hospitality  of  his  house,  which 
she  refused,  and  insisted  upon  going  to  a 


AMUSEMENTS  DRESS. 


93 


hotel  to  await  the  arrival  of  her  husband. 
The  somewhat  nonplused  Surgeon  had 
to  content  himself  with  bearino^  her  "biof 
box,  little  box,  bandbox  and  bundles"  to 
the  hotel.  After  assuring  the  lady  that 
he  would  inform  her  husband  of  her 
arrival,  he  departed  for  the  Fort.  When 
he  arrived  there  he  learned,  to  his  in- 
tense astonishment,  that  this  eleofant 
piece  of  femininity  to  whom  he  had 
shov/n  such  distinguished  attention  was 
not  the  wife  of  a  captain,  as  he  supposed, 
but  of  a  sergeant  of  the  same  name. 
She  was  a  bride,  and  had  come  to  assume 
the  duties  of  laundress  of  the  company 
to  which  her  husband  belonged. 


CHAPTER  X. 


HOW   MUCH   OF   THE   UNPLEASANTNESS  OF 
ARMY   LIFE  MIGHT   BE  OBVIATED. 

THOUGH  some  of  the  practices  re- 
ferred to  in  the  foregoing  chapters 
may  be  considered  objectionable,  yet  the 
tenderness  of  womanly  feeling  should  not 
be  excluded  from  exerting  its  due  influ- 
ence on  the  Army.  That  noble  sense  of 
delicacy  which  is  peculiar  to  the  sex 
should  be  ranked  among  the  means  for 
purifying  and  refining  its  social  character. 
And  even  under  the  present  order  of 
things,  much  unpleasantness  might  be 
obviated  if  the  officers  would  inform  their 
wives,  First — That  military  duties  are 

95 


96 


AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


paramount  to  all  others.  Second — That 
they  should  not  feel  slighted  if  the  gentle- 
men do  not  make  frequent  calls,  but  at- 
tribute it  to  circumstances  which  may 
prevent,  rather  than  to  a  disregard  of 
social  duties.  TJm^d — Impress  upon  their 
minds  the  fact  that  the  government  makes 
no  provision  for  ladies  in  the  allotment  of 
quarters,  etc.  ;  that  they  can  claim  nothing 
as  a  right ;  that  they  are  merely  the  re- 
cipients of  its  courtesy. 

Those  officers  of  the  General  Staff  who 
have  been  stationed  in  eastern  cities  until 
they  have  lost  their  identity  as  soldiers 
will  be  no  less  surprised  at  some  of  the 
statements  herein  than  citizens  at  large, 
as  they  see  but  little  of  Army  society 
proper.  A  brief  experience  in  the  "  Line," 
however,  would  convince  them  that  the 
facts  have  not  been  exaofo^erated.  And 


MILITARY   DUTIES.  97 

to  those  with  whose  sense  of  propriety 
Army  usages  are  not  inconsistent,  the 
writer  would  here  state  that  there  are 
ladies  and  gentlemen  who  have  success- 
fully resisted  their  corrupting  influences, 
like  those  who  have  lived  in  a  crowded 
city  during  a  plague  w^ithout  infection. 
Nature  is  not  more  constant  in  her  benefi- 
cent purposes  than  they  have  been  to  the 
noblest  attributes  of  human  character, 
and  the  valor  with  which  they  have  sup- 
ported their  love  of  principle  and  justice 

must  ever  elicit  honor  and  reverence. 
7 


PART  SECOND. 


OFFICERS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES  ARMY, 
SOCIALLY  AND  OFFICIALLY. 


CHAPTER  I. 


ARROGANCE. 

"  Upon  what  meat  does  this  our  Csesar  feed, 
That  he  is  grown  so  great  ?  " 

— Shakspeare. 

IT  is  worthy  of  remark  that  the  chiv- 
alrous spirit  which  had  attained  its  full 
perfection  in  the  Army  before  the  Great 
Rebellion  of  1861  is  nearly  extinct.  It 
is  only  necessary  to  run  over  a  few  in- 
stances in  order  to  see  how  infinitely  less 
prevalent  this  inspiration,  with  its  moral 
and  intellectual  influences,  is  now,  than 
it  was  among  the  officers  of  the  Old 
Army.  If  a  mighty  change  could  take 
place  in  the  quarter  where  it  is  most 


I02 


AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


needed,  the  Army,  although  forming  a 
body  virtually  cut  off  from  the  rest  of 
the  world,  would  constitute  a  society  of 
the  higher  order.  The  present  organi- 
zation lacks  that  ambition  —  that  esp^^it 
de  corps  —  which  characterized  the  Army 
prior  to  the  war.  Some  of  the  senior 
officers  still  maintain  among  them  a  rem- 
nant, though  feeble  and  mutilated,  of  the 
essence  of  the  "  good  old  time."  And 
yet,  if  they  were  to  attempt  to  inaugurate 
a  system  of  regeneration,  without  the  aid 
of  legislation,  there  could  be  no  hope 
that  their  efforts  would  be  crowned  by 
consequences  of  universal  utility  to  the 
Army.  Degeneracy  has  been  increased 
by  the  appointment  of  men  who  have 
not  received  a  military  education.  Add 
to  these  the  "  graduates  "  whom  a  super- 
abundance of  black  bile  has  rendered 


ARROGANCE.  lO^, 

unsusceptible  of  refinement  beyond  the 
limited  demands  of  civility,  and  the  sum 
comprises  so  much  of  the  unit  that  the 
remainder  is  a  negative  power.  The 
homogeneity  that  should  characterize  the 
military  establishment  has  been  destroyed 
by  the  mingling  of  incongruous  elements. 
The  contact  of  the  truly  meritorious  pro- 
fessionals with  non-professionals  has  given 
rise  to  arrogance,  and  has  almost  anni- 
hilated the  spirit  of  chivalry, 

"Such  as  it  had  in  the  days  gone  by." 

There  are  many  officers  in  whom  the 
haughty  assumption  of  superiority  is  con- 
spicuous on  all  occasions.  Rank  is  the 
shield  behind  which  they  stand  to  heap 
tyranny  upon  insult  and  wrong.  They 
do  not  regard  inferiors  as  having  rights 
which  they  should  respect,  and  by  the 


I04  AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


tyrannical  exercise  of  authority,  they  ex 
tort  a  slavish  obedience  from  those  ovei 
whom  they  are  placed.  They  look  upon 
a  private  soldier  as  a  machine — animate, 
yet  without  sense  of  justice  or  wrong ; 
exacting  of  him  the  offices  of  a  menial  — 
a  serf — deo^radinor  him  even  in  his  own 

o  o 

estimation.  If  he  dare  protest  enlistment 
for  boot-black  or  servant,  he  is  subjected 
to  a  course  of  systematic  persecution. 
His  military  duties  are  doubled,  so  com- 
pletely crushing  him,  mentally  and  phys- 
ically, that  he  is  driven  either  to  submis- 
sion or  desertion.  It  sometimes  happens 
that  the  soldier  is  superior  to  the  officer 
by  birth  and  education,  as  in  a  case  that 
came  under  the  observation  of  the  writer 
a  short  time  ago.  A  young  Prussian  of 
good  famiily,  highly  educated,  and  of  fine 
personal  appearance,  ran  away  from  col- 


ARROGANCE. 


lege,  came  to  the  United  States  and 
enlisted  in  the  Army  as  a  musician  for 
occupation  until  he  could  acquire  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  Encrlish  lanoruao-e.  He  was 
assigned  as  trumpeter  to  a  troop  of  cav- 
alry commanded  by  a  rough  old  Captain, 
who  took  especial  delight  in  persecuting 
any  member  of  his  company  who  be- 
trayed a  degree  of  culture  to  which  he 
himself  was  a  stranger ;  consequently 
this  young  soldier  suffered  to  the  utmost 
extent  of  the  Captain's  ingenuity.  An 
example  of  this  may  be  briefly  cited : 
During  a  campaign  of  the  troop,  the 
trumpeter  was  detailed  to  take  care  of  the 
Surgeon's  horse.  On  one  occasion  it 
was  dark  when  the  company  went  into 
camp,  after  a  long  and  hard  day's  march, 
and  the  soldiers  were  directed  to  merely 
rub  their  horses'  legs,  and  defer  thorough 


I06  AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


grooming  till  next  morning.  When  they 
ceased  grooming,  however,  the  Captain, 
taking  a  lantern,  inspected  as  usual,  and 
found  some  mud  on  the  hoofs  of  the  Sur- 
geon's horse.  He  thereupon  ordered  the 
musician  to  groom  the  animal  one  hour 
longer  before  taking  his  supper,  which 
was  already  prepared.  Such  treatment 
was  constantly  repeated  until,  disheart- 
ened and  worn  out,  he  deserted. 

Officers  of  this  class  are  invariably  de- 
ficient in  soldierly  instincts.  They  never 
assume  responsibility  for  the  mistakes  in 
which  a  lack  of  military  knowledge  con- 
stantly involves  them,  but  audaciously 
charge  it  to  their  subalterns,  or  their 
men,  as  when  a  campaign  results  disas- 
trously, or  when  the  execution  of  their 
plans  betrays  erroneous  conception  — 
even  expecting  the  officers  under  them 


ARROGANCE.  IO7 

to  anticipate  their  wishes,  when  some- 
thing quite  to  the  contrary  is  indicated 
by  their  orders.  The  old  Captain  above 
alluded  to,  one  day  when  in  the  field 
with  his  company,  halted  on  the  margin 
of  a  river  for  the  purpose  of  camping. 
Not  being  quite  satisfied  with  the  situa- 
tion, he  left  an  officer  in  charge  and  then 
proceeded  up  the  valley  about  three-quar- 
ters of  a  mile  farther  and  found  a  more 
suitable  place  due  west  of  the  point 
where  he  left  the  troops.  Unable  to  dis- 
cover himself  to  the  officer  with  the  com- 
pany from  the  new  location,  he  rode  to  a 
hill  a  quarter  of  a  mile  north  and  beck- 
oned for  him  to  come.  The  ascent  from 
the  position  of  the  troops  to  the  spot 
where  the  Captain  stood  was  so  gradual 
as  to  be  inappreciable.  When  the  col- 
umn was  fairly  in  motion,  the  Captain 


I08  AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 

returned  to  the  valley  and  picketed  his 
horse  near  the  spot  selected  for  his  own 
tent.  When  the  Lieutenant  arrived  with 
the  company  at  the  point  from  which  the 
commanding  officer  signaled,  supposing  it 
to  be  the  camp-ground,  he  dismounted 
the  men,  and  was  about  to  unsaddle 
when  he  was  discovered  by  the  Captain, 
who  mounted  his  horse  and  dashed  off  at 
full  speed  for  the  hill,  swearing  and  fum.- 
ing  all  the  way.  He  abused  the  Lieuten- 
ant in  the  presence  of  the  company  for 
going  to  the  hill,  instead  of  continuing 
the  march  along  the  river! 

The  writer  does  not  wish  to  be  under- 
stood as  condemning  all  officers  who 
have  not  received  a  military  education  ; 
there  are  many  bright  lights  among  them, 
though  they  cannot  boast  of  having  ac- 
quired their  brilliancy  in  the  ranks.  But 


ARROGANCE.  IO9 

to  support  a  military  school  for  the  edu- 
cation of  men  in  the  art  and  science  of 
war,  and  to  commission  men  from  the 
peaceful  walks  of  rural  life,  who  do  not 
know  a  Gatling  gun  from  a  coffee-mill, 
and  expect  them  to  perform  the  same 
duties,  seems  to  be  as  great  an  inconsis- 
tency as  to  ignore  the  medical  profession 
and  call  in  a  blacksmith  to  diagnose  a 
case  of  cerebrospinal  meningitis.  Is  it 
not  also  inconsistent  on  the  part  of  the 
Government  to  require  military  cadets, 
who  are  appointed  as  such  in  considera- 
tion of  their  superior  intellectual  attain- 
ments (determined  by  competitive  exam- 
ination), to  apply  themselves  assiduously 
four  years  to  the  study  of  abstruse  sci- 
ences, and  finally  subject  them  to  a  highly 
critical  examination,  which  they  must  pass 
creditably,  before  they  can  be  commis- 


no 


AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


sioned  to  the  Army,  and  commission, 
equally,  men  from  the  ranks,  whose  mili- 
tary knowledge  may  comprehend  no 
more  than  the  manual  of  arms,  the  fac- 
ings and  the  marchings,  which  a  monkey 
might  be  taught  to  perform  ?  And  it  is 
this  mixture  of  profession  and  trade  that 
generates  arrogance  and  produces  social 
distinctions  that  assumed  amiability  fre- 
quently fails  to  cover. 

It  has  been  proven  in  the  Army  that  a 
man  cannot  learn  theory  from  practice  — 
that  officers  who  have  not  received  a  mili- 
tary education  cannot  acquire  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  science  of  war  by  simply 
commanding  and  drilling  men  in  tactical 
evolutions.  Within  the  last  four  or  five 
years  many  valuable  lives  and  more  than 
a  million  of  dollars  have  been  sacrificed 
in  the  endeavor  to  make  a  brigadier-gen- 


ARROGANCE. 


I  I  I 


eral  out  of  a  colonel  of  this  class.  He 
took  the  field  under  the  most  favorable 
auspices.  His  command  was  well  ap- 
pointed in  everything  pertaining  to  the 
purpose  of  war,  and  was  composed  of 
cavalry,  artillery  and  infantry.  It  consti- 
tuted the  expedition  which  was  sent  into 
the  Indian  Territory  and  Texas  against 
the  Cheyenne,  Kiowa  and  Comanche  In- 
dians, which  tribes  had  united  in  hostility 
to  the  whites.  The  major  portion  of  his 
troops  was  cavalry,  of  which  one  regiment 
had  the  finest  mount  in  the  Army,  and 
nearly  all  the  horses  he  started  with  were 
veteran  and  inured  to  the  rigors  of  cam- 
paign. He  was  an  infantryman,  and,  not 
having  a  military  education,  was  not  fa- 
miliar with  the  other  arms  of  the  service, 
and  therefore  the  cavalry  and  artillery 
divisions  of  his  little  army  soon  became  a 


112  AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 

source  of  trouble  to  him.  In  less  than 
two  months  the  bones  of  many  of  his 
horses  were  bleaching  on  the  plain.  The 
average  cavalry  sergeant  would  have 
done  better.  He  frequently  halted  his 
column  on  barren  rocky  ground  for  three 
or  four  hours,  within  two  hundred  yards 
of  grass  and  water ;  or  on  grass-covered 
ground  for  a  like  time  without  removing 
a  bit  or  loosening  a  girth.  When  these 
halts  were  made  it  w^as  not  known  be- 
yond himself  whether  they  were  for  five 
minutes  or  five  hours,  thus  causing  the 
cavalrymen  to  become  solicitous  about 
their  horses.  Assuming  to  know  every- 
thing pertaining  to  campaigning,  he 
would  not  condescend  to  ask  his  officers 
what  their  customs  were  in  the  field.  Im- 
periousness  prevented  him  from  obtain- 
ing much  useful  knowledge.    It  was  hu- 


ARROGANCE. 


miliatino^  to  those  officers  who  had  Qrained 

o  o 

a  reputation  as  Indian  fighters  to  be  led 
over  the  country  by  a  man  who  had  never 
yet  seen  a  hostile  redskin,  and  knew 
nothing  of  his  mode  of  warfare,  as  was 
shown  in  the  first  battle  of  the  campaign. 
The  troops  were  advancing  from  the  east, 
and,  when  within  a  mile  and  a  half  of  the 
enemy's  position,  were  formed  into  line 
of  battle,  and  required  to  move  with  as 
much  precision  as  in  a  review.  To  a  civ- 
ilized foe  this  manoeuver  might  have 
evinced  a  readiness  for  fight,  but  here  it 
served  only  to  amuse  and  embolden  the 
Indians,  who  regarded  it  as  evidence  of 
inexperience  and  alarm.  With  artillery 
in  the  center  supported  by  infantry,  and 
cavalry  on  the  right  and  left,  he  moved 
into  rifle  range  and  halted.  He  opened 
fire  from  the  artillery,  which  he  person- 

•  8 


114  AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 

ally  superintended,  and  neglected  to  give 
any  instructions  to  his  cavalry  officers, 
whose  battalions  were  sitting  quietly  in 
their  saddles  under  a  heavy  fire  awaiting 
orders.  'Twas  then  that  the  commander 
of  the  First  Cavalry  Battalion,  exasper- 
ated at  seeing  his  men  shot  from  their 
horses  without  the  satisfaction  of  return- 
ing the  fire,  in  breach  of  discipline  took 
his  cap  in  hand  and  gave  that  memorable 
order,  *'  Now,  theiiy  sweep  the  Ji-i-l-l-s !  " 
The  trumpeters  sounded  the  charge, 
and  the  battalion  left  the  line  of  battle 
and  dashed  at  full  speed  up  the  rugged 
slope,  while  the  shells  from  a  Parrott  gun 
in  the  rear  went  screaming  through  the 
air  above  their  heads.  After  clearing  the 
hills  of  Indians  the  cavalry  halted,  and 
the  Commander-in-chief  came  to  them, 
and  was  so  pleased  with  the  gallant  dash 


ARROGANCE.  II5 

that  he  never  alluded  to  the  transcending 
authority  that  directed  it,  but  said  to  the 
officers,  Well  done,  gentlemen,  well 
done!" 

Having  failed  to  move  forward  his  base 
of  supplies  in  time  to  be  available  when 
the  stores  he  took  with  him  were  ex- 
hausted, his  men  and  horses  were  now  in  a 
starving  condition.  The  Indians  became 
aware  of  this  fact,  outgeneraled  him  and 
got  into  his  rear,  intercepted  his  supply 
train  and  compelled  him  to  retreat  one 
hundred  and  forty  miles,  in  which  retro- 
grade movement  he  lost  one  hundred  and 
ten  horses  by  hunger  and  fatigue.  His 
estimates  for  supplies,  both  of  subsistence 
and  ammunition,  were  inadequate  for  such 
a  campaign  as  he  had  mapped  out.  Lack 
of  military  knowledge  was  the  cause  of 
his  neorlecting:  the  details  so  essential  for 


Il6  AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 

the  preservation  of  an  army.  His  horses 
were  worn  out,  and  most  of  his  cavalry 
had  to  be  remounted  before  he  could  re- 
sume offensive  operations.  He  took  the 
band  horses  of  a  cavalry  regiment  and 
used  them  for  artillery  teams,  when  he 
might  have  taken  mules  for  that  purpose 
from  his  train,  by  reducing  the  number 
which  were  hauling  empty  wagons.  In 
crossing  a  wide  river-bed,  vvdiere  there 
was  but  little  water,  a  gun-carriage  sank  so 
deep  into  the  sand  that  it  was  a  physical 
impossibility  for  the  horses  to  move  it. 
The  driver  belabored  the  poor  brutes 
with  a  "  blacksnake  "  whip  until  they  could 
hardly  stand.  Mule  harness  was  used  on 
the  horses,  and  their  necks  were  squeezed 
into  the  small  collars  so  tightly  that  the 
skin  parted  and  was  forced  back  against 
their   shoulders.      Notwithstanding  the 


ARROGANCE.  I  I  J 

blood  streamed  down  their  fore  legs  from 
their  bare,  raw  necks,  the  driver  contin- 
ued to  lash  them.  The  regiment  to 
Avhich  these  horses  belono'ed  hied  throucrh 

o  o 

the  river,  near  the  ^un,  and  it  was  touch- 
ing  to  see  war-worn  A'eterans,  who  had 
witnessed  the  carnage  of  manv  a  hard- 
fought  held,  drop  a  tear  as  they  beheld 
their  pets  thus  inhumanly  treated ;  and 
one  old  captain  rode  up  to  the  driver, 
and,  raising  his  saber  high,  said,  "  If  you 
strike  those  horses  another  blow,  I'll  cut 
you  dovv'n  I " 

The  aspiring  Commander  of  this  expe- 
dition would  not  move  his  column  with- 
out a  company  of  scouts  in  advance 
followed  by  a  skirmish  line,  and  hankers 
on  the  rio;ht  and  left,  and  a  stroncr  rear 
guard  ;  but  he  would  send  an  officer  with 
ten  men  to  make  a  reconnoissance  sev- 


Il8  AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


eral  miles  in  every  direction  from  his 
camp  ;  and  once,  just  after  a  battle,  he 
required  an  officer  to  go  twelve  miles 
along  the  line  of  the  enemy's  retreat 
with  an  escort  of  five  men  mounted  on 
horses  which  had  already  marched  thirty 
miles  that  day.  His  utter  disregard  of 
the  measures  which  are  indispensable  for 
the  safety  and  protection  of  men  and 
animals  when  bivouacking,  or  making  a 
temporary  halt,  is  in  striking  contrast 
with  his  precaution  to  prevent  surprise 
on  the  march.  The  day  before  a  certain 
battle  he  was  on  the  trail  of,  and  near, 
a  large  force  of  Indians,  and  had  a  strong 
skirmish  line  coverino^  the  head  of  his 
column,  which  was  moving  along  a  plain 
toward  a  range  of  high,  rugged  hills.  At 
the  foot  of  the  hills  was  a  creek  run- 
ning through  a  narrow  valley,  and  here 


ARROGANCE.  II9 

he  halted  to  rest  and  graze  the  horses 
preparatory  to  the  approaching  fight. 
The  officer  in  charge  of  the  skirmish  Hne 
hastened  to  establish  vedettes  upon  the 
hills  to  cover  the  column,  which  was  dis- 
mounted and  the  horses  unsaddled  and 
grazing.  Having  received  no  orders  in 
regard  to  the  disposition  of  his  men  dur- 
ing the  halt,  he  did  that  which  seemed  to 
him  the  most  important  under  the  circum- 
stances, supposing  that  the  line  would  be 
relieved  by  a  fresh  one  in  due  time.  The 
General  regarded  his  action  as  an  as- 
sumption of  authority,  and  placed  him  in 
arrest  for  not  allowing  the  skirmishers  to 
remain  in  the  valley  to  water  and  graze 
their  horses.  The  trail  crossed  the  stream 
and  passed  up  the  bluff  near  the  point 
where  the  column  halted,  and  the  Com- 
manding Officer  had  no  means  of  know- 


I20  AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


ing  that  the  Indians  were  not  posted  in 
the  ravines  and  among  the  rocks  ready 
to  dehver  a  volley  that  would  stampede 
his  horses. 

He  v/as  sullen  and  morose  whenever 
his  mistakes  were  made  visible  to  him. 
When  he  became  aware  that  his  cavalry 
was  breaking  down,  he  issued  an  order 
requiring  the  officers  to  report  to  him 
the  condition  of  their  horses.  One  bat- 
talion commander,  having  reported  all  of 
his  unserviceable,  v/as  inform.ed,  in  very 
harsh  terms,  that  his  men  should  walk. 
Thus,  this  pseudo-General  punished  his 
soldiers  for  a  disaster  that  resulted  from 
his  own  igrnorance  of  the  manas^ement  of 
cavalry  in  the  field.  He  endeavored  to 
save  himself  from  the  odium  of  failure  by 
charging  the  cavalry  officers  with  a  lack 
of  zeal  and  harmony,  but  his  weak  inven- 


ARROGANCE. 


121 


tion  did  not  sustain  him.  Like  a  poor 
mechanic,  he  quarreled  with  his  tools. 

The  cavalry  officers  of  the  expedition, 
havinp"  lost  their  men  and  horses  through 
his  incompetency,  felt  that  they  would  be 
recreant  to  the  trust  reposed  in  them  by 
the  Government  if  they  did  not  adopt 
some  measure  for  its  protection,  and, 
accordingly,  they  prepared  charges  and 
specifications  setting  forth  his  criminal 
ignorance,  intending  to  prefer  them 
against  him  at  the  close  of  the  campaign. 
When  that  time  came,  and  the  troops 
v/ere  returned  to  their  stations,  it  was 
thought  better  to  bear  the  ills  we 
have  than  fly  to  those  we  know  naught 
of,"  lest  they  might  be  so  unfortunate  as 
to  fall  into  his  hands  at  some  future  time 
and  suffer  under  the  code  lex  talionis. 

It  is  an  injustice  to  the  experienced 


122  AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


*'  professionals  "  of  the  Army  to  push  for- 
ward such  an  incapable  man,  intrusting 
him  with  important  commands  in  the  vain 
hope  of  placing  a  star  on  his  shoulder. 
No  officer  ever  had  a  better  opportunity 
for  distinction  than  this  campaign  pre- 
sented, but  he  lacked  the  essential  qual- 
ity—  military  knowledge  —  to  attain  it. 
And  the  public  will  never  know  what  the 
experiment  cost  in  men  and  money  with- 
out referring  to  the  records  of  the  War 
Office. 

Some  of  the  junior  officers  of  his  com- 
mand obtained  pleasant  details  for  writ- 
ing him  up  in  the  newspapers  and  giving 
glowing  accounts  of  battles  never  fought, 
and  exaggerated  descriptions  of  those 
that  were. 

Notwithstanding  the  glaring  evidence 
of  his  inability  that  the  signal  failure  of 


ARROGANCE. 


123 


this  expedition  furnished,  he  was  after- 
ward given  a  command  in  Sitting  Bull's 
range,  where  he  criminally  sacrificed  offi- 
cers and  men  who  were  superior  to  him- 
self in  every  respect.  The  survivors  of 
his  campaigns  might  justly  exclaim  — 

"When  wert  thou  known  in  ambushed  fights  to  dare, 
Or  nobly  face  the  horrid  front  of  war  ? 
'Tis  ours  the  chance  of  fighting  fields  to  try; 
Thine  to  look  on,  and  bid  the  valiant  die !  " 

It  is  a  good  thing  for  the  Navy  that 
the  influence  of  connections  cannot  ele- 
vate a  charlatan  to  the  command  of  a 
ship  of  war.  There  is  a  standard  of  pro- 
fessional merit  established  for  each  grade 
in  that  branch  of  the  service,  and  pro- 
motions, even  in  the  regular  line,  cannot 
be  made  until  the  fitness  of  the  candidate 
for  the  position  is  shown  by  a  critical 
examination. 


124 


AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


It  may  not  be  considered  too  great  a 
departure  from  the  subject  in  hand  to  say 
something  more  about  the  lack  of  con- 
sistency in  the  War  Department,  so  far 
as  it  affects  the  tout  ensemble  of  the 
Army  and  concerns  its  social  and  official 
character.  One  of  its  most  noticeable 
inconsistencies  relates  to  the  employment 
of  Contract  Surgeons.  These  employes 
are  constantly  applying  for  admission  to 
the  Medical  Corps,  but  the  standard  of 
qualification  is  so  high  that  few,  if  any, 
ever  attain  the  coveted  position.  Is  it 
not  a  gross  injustice  to  the  Army  to  re- 
new and  continue  the  contracts  of  doc- 
tors after  the  Examining  Board  has  pro- 
nounced them  incompetent  to  hold  a 
commission  ?  Men  who  have  tried,  time 
after  time,  to  pass  the  examination  and 
failed    have  been   placed   in  charge  of 


ARROGANCE.  I  25 

hospitals,  and  all  the  responsibility  of 
Post  Surgeons  conferred  upon  them.  If 
they  are  ineligible  to  commission  by 
reason  of  their  incompetency,  is  it  not 
palpably  wrong  to  intrust  them,  in  the 
capacity  of  fully  commissioned  surgeons, 
with  the  lives  of  men,  women  and  chil- 
dren ?  Many  precious  lives  and  limbs 
might  be  saved  to  the  Army,  and  much 
pension  money  to  the  public  treasury,  if 
this  matter  were  properly  adjusted. 

As  to  Chaplains,  the  War  Department 
shows  a  more  profound  interest.  That  it 
regards  the  souls  of  men  as  being  of 
greater  importance  than  their  bodies  is 
evident  from  the  fact  that  the  duties  of 
salvation  are  not  performed  by  laymeri 
tinder  contract,  but  by  regularly  ordained 
ministers,  and  under  the  dignity  of  a  com- 
mission.   And  it  may  be  inferred  from 


126 


AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


the  distribution  of  chaplains  that  their 
presence  is  deemed  more  essential  at 
Headquarters  Posts,  as  they  are  never 
assigned  to  any  other.  But  whether  this 
order  of  things  is  really  to  supply  a  moral 
necessity,  or  simply  to  add  sacerdotal 
dignity  to  the  Staff  of  the  Commanding 
Officer,  is  a  tabooed  question. 


CHAPTER  II. 


DEFERENCE  TO  WEALTH  SERVILE 

ADULATION. 

"  Mammon's  a  god  of  rigid  decrees, 
Who  grants  entre  at  fashion's  levees 
When  appeal  is  made  with  golden  fees 

Or  servile  adulation. 
And  many  are  they  who  toady  to  gold 
To  obtain  caste,  or  least  a  good  hold, 

In  social  organization." 

DEFERENCE  to  wealth  is  a  weak- 
ness common  to  human  nature,  but 
nowhere  is  it  more  conspicuous  than  in 
the  United  States  Army.  An  officer  who 
can  sport  a  liveried  coachman  need  not 
'*  face  the  horrid  front  of  war."  Wealth 

is  the  requisite  qualification  to  insure  him 
127 


128  AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


a  position  in  the  Staff  Corps,  or  a  detail  to 
Europe  to  observe  the  movements  of  con- 
tending armies  and  study  their  plans  of 
attack  and  defense — which  is  usually 
done  at  the  Army  Glub  Rooms  in  the 
cities  of  Paris  and  London. 

In  the  affairs  of  civil  life  ''Offense's 
gilded  hand "  buys  out  the  law ;  but  in 
the  transactions  of  the  Army  it  forestalls 
justice.  It  frequently  happens  that 
drunken,  worthless  officers  are  cashiered 
by  sentence  of  a  court-martial,  but 
through  deference  to  wealth,  represented 
in  the  accused  or  his  friends,  the  review- 
ing authority  "  takes  pleasure  in  remit- 
ting the  sentence,"  or  commuting  it  to 
''suspension  from  rank  and  command" 
for  six  months  or  a  year,  and  thus  justice 
is  baffled,  and  the  delinquent,  lost  to  all 
sense  of  pride  and  manhood,  resumes  his 


DEFERENCE  TO  WEALTM.  I  29 

former  official  position.  Many  examples 
of  immunity  from  punishment  through 
the  influence  of  money  might  be  cited,  but 
suffice  it  to  give  one,  showing  how  a  Com- 
manding Officer  was  persuaded  by  a  rich 
member  of  his  Staff  to  use  his  power  ar- 
bitrarily. During  the  march  of  a  bat- 
talion of  cavalry  from  the  States  to  its 
station  in  one  of  the  Territories  a  diffi- 
culty occurred  between  a  company  com- 
mander and  the  Quartermaster  of  the 
battalion  in  regard  to  the  loading  of  a 
wagon.  The  latter  officer,  not  being  fa- 
miliar with  the  various  duties  of  his  new 
office,  had  transcended  his  authority  in 
the  matter  mentioned.  The  company 
officer  put  his  grievance  in  writing,  in  ac- 
cordance with  law  and  regulations,  and 
forwarded  it  to  the  Commanding  Officer, 

who  knew  the  complaint  was  correct  and 
9 


130  AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 

just  but  would  not  admit  it  because  the  ^ 
Ouartermaster  held  his  note  for  a  lar^e 
sum  of  money.  He  referred  the  paper 
to  the  latter  officer  for  remarks,  and  it 
was  returned  with  an  indorsement  that 
covered  three  sheets  of  letter-paper,  in 
which  he  (the  Quartermaster)  made  the 
most  vindictive  and  unscrupulous  accusa- 
tions against  the  plaintiff,  justifying  him- 
self in  all  that  he  had  done.  He  deliv- 
ered the  document  in  person  to  the 
Commanding  Officer  and  requested  him 
to  put  an  indorsement  on  it  sustaining 
him  (the  Ouartermaster)  and  transmit  it 
to  the  company  commander.  In  compli- 
ance with  the  request  it  was  indorsed 
as  follows  : 

"  Respectfully  returned  to  the  Commanding  Offi- 
cer of  Company  — ,  who  is  hereby  informed  that 
the  indorsement  of  the  Quartermaster  hereon  is 


DEFERENCE  TO  WEALTH.  131^ 

conclusive,  and  that  no  more  correspondence  upon 
this  subject  will  be  received  at  these  Headquarters." 

Chapters  might  be  written  upon  the 
subject  of  persecution  and  injustice  in  the 
United  States  Army  through  the  instru- 
mentality of  wealth,  of  which  the  forego- 
ing citation  is  a  mild  type  and  of  every- 
day occurrence. 


CHAPTER  III. 


PATRICIAN  PREJUDICES. 

^'  Can  place  or  lessen  us  or  aggrandize  ? 

Pygmies  are  pygmies  still,  though  perch'd  on  Alps ; 

And  pyramids  are  pyramids  in  vales." 

—Young. 

THERE  is  no  feature  of  American 
society  so  anomalous  and  inconsis- 
tent with  the  principles  of  our  govern- 
ment as  the  airs  of  nobility  which  many 
of  our*Army  officers  assume.  There  are 
no  people  on  the  face  of  the  earth  who 
have  arrived  at  that  proud  eminence  of 
civilization  which  recognizes  the  propri- 
ety of  wearing  clothes  that  the  aping  of 
aristocracy  so  ill  becomes  as  Americans. 


134  AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


Public  sentiment  is  against  it,  and  in  this 
country,  where  all  men  are  born  free  and 
equal,  public  sentiment  is  the  final  arbiter 
of  custom,  and  no  faction  can  successfully 
oppose  it.    It  has  been  aptly  said, 

"  Of  all  the  notable  things  on  earth, 
The  queerest  one  is  pride  of  birth. 

Among  our  '  fierce  democracy  !  ' 
A  bridge  across  a  hundred  years. 
Without  a  prop  to  save  it  from  sneers. 
Not  even  a  couple  of  rotten  pecrs^ —  ^ 
A  thing  for  laughter,  fleers,  and  jeers, 

Is  American  Aristocracy  ! 

"  English  and  Irish,  French  and  Spanish, 
Germans,  Italians,  Dutch  and  Danish, 
Crossing  their  veins  until  they  vanish  ^ 

In  one  conglomeration  ! 
So  subtle  a  tangle  of  blood,  indeed, 
No  Heraldry  Harvey  will  ever  succeed 

In  finding  the  circulation. 

"  Depend  upon  it,  my  snobbish  friend, 
Your  family  thread  you  can't  ascend. 


PATRICIAN  prejudices; 


Without  good  reason  to  apprehend 

You  may  find  it  ivaxed,  at  the  farther  end, 

By  some  plebeian  vocation ! 
Or,  worse  than  that,  your  boasted  line 
May  end  in  a  loop  of  stronger  twine, 

That  plagued  some  worthy  relation !  " 

Wealth  and  position  do  not  make  a 
gentleman.  He  may  be  found  in  tatters 
or  in  broadcloth,  in.  the  workshop  or  in 
the  Senate,  in  the  wilds  of  the  border  or 
in  the  fields  of  ao-riculture  —  find  him 
where  we  may,  he  is  recognized  only  by 
the  attributes  of  noble  manhood. 

"  'Tis  soul,  and  heart,  and  a'  that. 
That  makes  the  king  a  gentleman, 
And  not  his  crown,  and  a'  that; 
'  And  man  with  man,  if  rich  or  poor, 
The  best  is  he,  for  a'  that. 
Who  stands  erect  in  self-respect. 
And  acts  the  man,  for  a'  that." 

The  gilded  pageantry  of  our  Army  files 
by  us  in  review,  and  here  and  there  we 


136 


AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


see  the  champions  of  nobility,  mounted 
on  gaily  caparisoned  chargers,  blandly 
smiling  as  they  pass  a  group  of  ladies 
who  flaunt  their  kerchiefs  to  the  breeze 
in  recognition  and  salutation.  Lo,  these 
knights  are  summoned  to  council !  What 
means  the  haste?  Is  war  upon  us?  No, 
no  !  They  are  not  called  to  deliberate 
upon  affaires  militaire,  but  upon  an 
affaire  dtt  c(£7ir.  It  has  just  been  an- 
nounced that  an  officer  is  about  to  marry 
a  young  lady  of  low  estate  —  the  daugh- 
ter of  the  caterer  of  the  Officers'  Mess  ! 
The  council  has  convened  to  protest 
against  the  marriage.  After  condemningr 
the  proposed  alliance,  they  inform  the 
officer  that  his  marriage  with  a  girl  of 
plebeian  birth  will  not  only  compromise 
the  regiment,  but  that  he  will  be  ostra- 
cised by  his  comrades,  and  that  the  lady 


PATRICIAN  PREJUDICES. 


can  never  be  admitted  to  social  equality 
in  the  Army.  She  had  been  educated  in 
a  convent,  and  was  lovely,  accomplished, 
amiable,  and  in  every  respect  a  desirable 
woman,  but  her  lowly  origin  debarred  her 
from  the  circle  of  the  haut  to7i  of  that 
regiment. 

"  I  see  not  that  flesh  is  holier  than  flesh, 
Or  blood  than  blood  more  choicely  qualified, 
That  scorn  should  dwell  between  them." 

The  lover,  "  sighing  like  furnace,"  and 
''full  of  strange  oaths,"  gallantly  faced 
the  storm  of  indignation,  married  the 
girl  and  returned  to  the  station  of  his 
company  on  the  frontier,  taking  his  bride 
with  him.  The  garrison  of  the  Post  to 
which  she  went,  knowing  nothing  of  her 
previous  history,  gave  her  a  cordial  wel- 
come. The  amiability  and  graceful  bear- 
ing of  the  new-comer  soon  endeared  her 


138  AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 

to  them,  and  she  became  the  most  hon- 
ored lady  of  the  Post.  During  her  so- 
journ there  many  troops  came  and  went, 
and  all  who  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting 
her,  and  partaking  of  the  unbounded 
hospitality  which  she  always  extended  to 
strangers,  still  praise  her  genial  manner 
and  admirable  qualities.  After  a  lapse 
of  two  or  three  years,  she  returned  to 
spend  the  Christmas  holidays  with  her 
mother,  who  occupied  the  quarters  in 
which  the  Officers'  Mess  was  conducted. 
The  old  lady,  being  aware  of  the  social 
prejudices  of  the  Army,  and  expecting 
her  daughter  to  receive  the  usual  court- 
esies extended  to  an  officer's  wife,  very 
considerately  relinquished  her  parlors  for 
the  entertainment  of  any  who  might  call, 
and  prepared  to  keep  herself  and  family 
in   the   extreme   distance.     There  were 


PATRICIAN   PREJUDICES.  1 39 

seven  ladies  and  sixteen  officers  present. 
One  of  the  latter  was  a  member  of 
the  garrison  which  occuoied  the  Post 
at  the  tim.e  of  the  young  lady's  marriage, 
and  was  of  the  same  regiment  as  her 
husband,  but  not  of  the  opposing  fac- 
tion. The  visitor  arrived  two  days  before 
Christmas,  and  no  one,  except  the  officer 
alluded  to,  called  upon  her  until  New 
Year's  Day,  and  then  under  the  following 
circumstances  :  In  the  morning  the  offi- 
cers, in  full  dress,  assembled  at  the 
Adjutant's  office  preparatory  to  making 
the  customary  call  upon  the  Command- 
ing Officer.  After  the  usual  ceremony 
of  wine  and  cigars  with  that  dignitary  at 
his  quarters,  they  called  upon  every  lady 
of  the  garrison,  and  then  marched  into 
a  bachelor's  quarters  to  take  a  parting 
glass  of  egg-nogg.    When  the  officer  of 


140  AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 

the  regiment  to  which  the  lady  belonged 
discovered  that  the  party  had  performed 
their  programme  and  were  about  to  dis- 
perse, he  made  the  following  statement : 

"  Gentlemen,  the  presence  at  this  Post 
of  a  lady  of  the  regiment  to  which  I  be- 
long has  been  so  conspicuously  ignored 
by  the  officers  and  ladies  of  the  garrison 
that  it  becomes  my  duty  to  report  the 
fact  to  my  comrades,  whose  indignation 
will  certainly  be  put  into  a  tangible  form. 
If  this  party  disbands  without  calling 
upon  her,  I  shall  consider  it  an  insult  to 
the  regiment,  and  shall  make  it  a  per- 
sonal matter." 

The  Commanding  Officer,  who  had 
joined  the  party,  replied  that  he  was  glad 
the  matter  had  been  mentioned,  and  at 
his  suggestion  they  called  upon  her. 
They  were  so  elegantly  entertained  that 


PATRICIAN   PREJUDICES.  I4I 

the  same  officer  afterward  remarked  that 
he  would  rather  have  lost  his  commis- 
sion than  to  have  failed  to  make  the  call. 
Hers  was  the  finest  reception  at  the 
Post  that  day,  and  the  ease  and  ability 
with  which  she  entertained  her  guests 
commanded  their  unbounded  admiration. 
Her  apt  quotations  and  ready  wit  were 
an  intellectual  feast  which  so  far  excelled 
anything  of  the  kind  given  by  the  ladies 
of  pedigree,  who  had  not  condescended 
to  notice  her,  that  the  gentlemen  unani- 
mously proclaimed  her  "  Queen  of  the 
Banquet."  The  surprised,  delighted,  and 
somewhat  conscience-stricken  orentlemen 
returned  to  their  homes  to  sing  her 
praises,  in  which  they  were  doubtless 
more  assiduous  when  they  recalled  the 
fact  that  a  few  days  previous  she  was 
compelled  to  walk  five  miles  (the  dis- 


142 


AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


tance  to  the  nearest  town)  and  back,  to 
do  some  shopping,  having  been  refused 
an  ambulance. 

Some  time  after  she  had  returned  to 
the  station  of  her  husband,  the  most 
active  member  of  the  council  before 
mentioned  happened  along  sick.  He 
was  attached  to  a  laree  command  that 
halted  for  a  few  days  near  the  Post. 
This  magnanimous  lady,  accompanied  by 
her  husband,  went  to  the  camp  and  ten- 
dered to  the  invalid  the  hospitality  of 
her  home,  which  was  accepted,  and  he 
dined  with  her  that  day.  When  depart- 
ing from  her  house,  he  remarked  to  one 
who  knew  of  his  former  opposition,  "  I'm 
sorry  I  ever  said  anything  disparaging 

of  Mrs.  ,  and  objected  to  her  coming 

into  the  regiment.  She  is  a  bright,  gen- 
erous lady." 


PATRICIAN   PREJUDICES,  1 43 

This  may  seem  to  be  an  extraordinary 
case,  but  simnlar  ones  are  by  no  means 
rare.  Miss  Trafton  has  ably  pictured,  in 
her  story  entitled  "  His  Inheritance,"  the 
persecutions  that  an  officer's  wife  may  be 
compelled  to  endure  from  those  who  claim 
superiority  by  the  accident  of  birth  or 
position.  Poor  little  Blossom  Elyot, 
beautiful,  amiable  and  refined,  is  utterly 
io^nored  hy  the  ladies  of  the  garrison ; 
and,  even  in  view  of  the  supposed  death 
of  her  oallant  husband,  refused  those  ex- 
pressions  of  sympathy  and  regard  that  a 
feeling  of  humanity  alone  would  dictate; 
and  all  this  because  her  old  father,  who 
is  dead,  had  been  the  Post  Trader. 

Those  officers  who  arrogate  superiority 
are  imperious,  and  consequently  tyran- 
nical to  their  men.  In  reproving  a  de- 
linquent soldier,  they  use  the  most  vio- 


144 


AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


lent  and  abusive  epithets  that  our  copious 
English  language  is  capable  of  express- 
ing, and  sometimes  accompany  them  with 
blows.  They  are  uncharitable  not  only 
to  those  under  their  command,  but  to  any 
impecunious  citizen  whom  adversity  may 
have  driven  to  them  for  succor.  It  is  a 
common  thinof  on  the  frontier  for  men 
who  have  been  robbed  by  Indians  or 
highwaymen,  or  reduced  to  want  by  the 
failure  of  a  mining  speculation,  to  apply 
to  the  military  authorities  for  food,  or  for 
an  escort  through  a  hostile  region  to  a 
settlement  where  they  can  obtain  relief. 
When  such  applications  are  made  to  an 
officer  of  this  class,  they  are  invariably 
refused  in  rough  and  threatening  terms. 
The  author  was  present  at  a  remote  Post 
when  a  man  came  in  on  horseback  with 
the  United  States  mail,  which  he  had 


PATRICIAN  PREJUDICES. 


brouc{ht  fort^'  miles,  and  which  he  de- 
sired  to  carry  to  a  point  thirteen  miles 
beyond  the  Post.  The  Indians  captured 
the  mail  stage  the  day  previous  and 
killed  the  passengers,  driver  and  horses,, 
and  this  man  was  employed  to  convey  the 
mail  to  a  point  on  another  stage  line.  He 
mentioned  to  the  Commanding  Officer 
the  importance  of  getting  the  mails 
through,  and  then  asked  him  for  an  es- 
cort,  which  was  peremptorily  refused. 
The  poor  man,  whose  sunburned  face  was 
covered  with  the  sweat  and  dust  of  his 
weary  march,  felt  that  he  stood  in  the 
august  presence  of  an  imperial  magnate. 
With  hat  in  hand,  and  in  the  most  respect- 
ful manner,  he  solicited  the  loan  of  a 
pistol  or  other  firearm,  promising  to 
return  it  the  following  dav,  and  added 

that  he  was  a  stranger,  and  that  there  was 
10- 


146  AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 

great  risk  involved  in  crossing  the  moun- 
tains so  near  the  stronghold  of  the 
Indians  without  some  means  of  defense. 
The  officer  told  him  he  would  not  lend 
arms  to  citizens.  The  man's  sense  of 
duty,  however,  induced  him  to  attempt 
the  passage  without  a  weapon  of  any 
kind.  Thus  determined,  he  was  about  to 
mount  his  horse,  when  the  unfeelinof 
officer  had  the  presumption  to  ask  him  to 
carry  a  note  to  a  member  of  the  guard  at 
the  mail  station  whither  he  was  bound. 
He  readily  assented  and  waited  until  it 
was  prepared,  then,  placing  the  note  in 
his  vest  pocket,  rode  away  on  his  perilous 
undertakinor.  In  less  than  an  hour  after- 
ward  the  man  was  slain  and  mutilated 
upon  the  highway,  by  the  savages,  in 
siorht  of  the  Post.  The  brave  Com- 
mander,  surrounded  by  a  strong  guard  of 


PATRICIAN   PREJUDICES.  I47 


soldiers,  ventured  to  the  spot  where  the 
defenseless  man  lay  murdered.  He  ex- 
amined the  pockets  of  the  victim  with  a 
view  to  identification,  and  took  therefrom 
his  own  note,  which  had  been  pierced  by 
a  ball  that  entered  the  man's  side,  and  was 
saturated  with  blood.  The  officer  pre- 
served the  note  as  a  relic  of  Indian  bar- 
barity !  This  was  the  sixth  or  seventh 
case  of  almost  immediate  death  of  unpro- 
tected men  who  had  applied  at  that  Post 
for  arms  or  escort.  In  two  cases  the 
applicants  were  driven  away  hungry. 

If  in  the  ''vast  solitudes  of  eternal 
space  there  throbs  the  being  of  an  awful 
God"  who  avenges  and  punishes  the 
wrongs  of  this  world,  then  let  such  im- 
perious officers  take  heed  lest  the  blood 
that  cries  from  the  mountain  fastnesses 


148  AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 

and  the  desolate  plain  give  answer  to  the 
old  question,  "Where  is  thy  brother?" 

Man's  weaknesses  are  about  the  same 
everywhere.  The  desire  for  applause  is 
inherent  and  common  to  all.  It  incites 
men  to  action,  and  inspires  them  with  the 
hope  of  achieving  glory  and  greatness. 
This  feature  of  human  character  is  as 
frequently  seen  in  civil  life  as  in  the 
Army;  but  in  the  former,  the  aspirant 
cannot  demand  plaudit  before  he  attains 
the  goal  of  his  ambition  —  he  has  no 
command,  no  power  till  then ;  in  the 
latter,  however,  men  are  clothed  with 
authority,  and  many  of  them  assume  an 
air  of  importance  superior  to  their  posi- 
tion, and  demand  from  those  who  come 
within  their  jurisdiction  the  homage  which 
is  paid  to  nobility.  When  men  thus  place 
themselves  upon  a  pedestal,  and  claim  to 


PATRICIAN   PREJUDICES.  I49 

be  the  par  excellence  of  the  human  race, 
they  are  the  subjects  of  scrutiny  and  criti- 
cism, and  their  quality  is  determined  by 
their  own  standard.  Even  the  private 
soldier  forms  an  opinion  of  his  officers, 
but  he  dare  not  give  utterance  to  the  ver- 
dict of  his  judgment  until  he  is  released 
from  the  bonds  of  enlistment  and  re- 
turned to  the  freedom  of  his  peers ; 
then,  looking  from  the  standpoint  of  a 
citizen,  he  recounts  the  insults  he  has 
endured,  the  degrading  offices  he  has 
been  compelled  to  perform,  and  all  the 
vvTongs  that  a  supercilious  officer  could 
inflict. 

This  class  of  officers  often  have  the 
extremely  bad  taste  to  carry  their  haztteur 
into  the  social  circle.  If  a  lady,  through 
ignorance  or  mistake,  addresses  one  of 
them  with  a  title  below^  his  rank,  or  gives 


150  AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 

the  full  rank  instead  of  the  brevet,  he 
swells  with  emotion,  and,  with  insolent 
brevity,  corrects  her. 

A.  Post  Commander  once  made  himself 
so  disagreeable  in  this  way  that  the  wife 
of  the  Surgeon,  aided  and  abetted  by  the 
other  ladies  of  the  garrison,  persuaded 
her  husband  to  give  him  a  half-year's  sick 
leave.  It  was  only  necessary  to  suggest 
that  he  looked  bad,  and  that  a  sea  voyage 
would  do  him  good,  to  induce  him  to 
seize  the  bait,  and  in  less  than  two  weeks 
he  was  a  passenger  on  an  ocean  steamer. 
Let  us  follow  him  a  little  way  on  his 
journey  and  see  how  his  mightiness  con- 
ducts himself  ''off  duty."  He  occupied  a 
state-room  with  a  junior  officer  who  was 
traveling  on  duty.  There  were  three 
berths  in  the  room,  one  above  another. 
The  middle  one  being  the  best  situated 


PATRICIAN    PREJUDICES.  I5I 

for  the  uses  of  greatness,  as  there  would 
be  no  compromise  of  dignity  by  climbing, 
and  no  uncertainty  of  making  a  lodg- 
ment when  the  ship  was  rolling,  the  grave 
and  potent  senior  unceremoniously  took 
possession  of  it.  The  junior  stifled  his 
feelings  of  envy  with  the  idea  of  promo- 
tion, and  submissively  ascended  to  the 
upper  bunk,  where  he  reclined  and  delib- 
erated upon  the  possibilities  of  man.  The 
"sick"  man  was  aware  of  the  benefits  to 
be  derived  from  early  rising  and  the  bath, 
and  consequently  reveille  found  him  at 
the  bar  taking  an  "  eye-opener,"  after 
which  he  performed  his  ablution,  using  all 
the  water  and  towels  which  had  been  pro- 
vided for  both  occupants.  When  the 
scarcity  of  water  and  towels  is  an  exi- 
gency of  a  campaign,  the  matter  can  be 
viewed    philosophically;    but   when  the 


152  AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 

Government  pays  for  these  luxuries,  to 
go  unwashed  would  be  an  unpardonable 
remissness;  so  our  junior,  to  maintain  the 
honor  of  his  country,  applied  for  an  addi- 
tional pitcher  of  water,  and  directed  the 
steward  to  put  his  towel  into  a  satchel 
which  was  left  open  for  that  purpose. 
There  were  several  ladies  on  board,  who, 
with  their  husbands  and  the  two  officers, 
constituted  a  select  party  which  occupied 
seats  at  that  end  of  the  dining  table  pre- 
sided over  by  the  Captain  of  the  ship. 
To  see  the  "invalid"  eat  afforded  the 
company  a  never-failing  source  of  diver- 
sion, though  they  were  careful  to  observe 
the  warning, 

"If  much  you  note  hirr, 
You  offend  him ;  feed  and  regard  him  not." 

He  perched  his  elbows  upon  the  table,  to 
the  right  and  left  as  far  as  he  could  span, 


PATRICIAN  PREJUDICES.  I  53 


to  prevent  the  encroachment  of  his  neigh- 
bors ;  inclined  his  head  over  his  plate  and 
devoured  everything  which  was  brought 
to  him  with  an  avidity  that  alarmed  the 
beholders  and  disgusted  the  waiters ; 
never  raising  his  eyes  except  to  follow 
with  greedy  glare  a  dish  that  was  being 
removed  beyond  the  range  of  his  arms, 
or  when  drinking  coffee,  which  instantly 
disappeared  as  water  down  a  dark  abyss. 
When  dessert  came  on,  this  Epicurean 
philosopher  sat  behind  a  perfect  barricade 

"Of  candied  apple,  quince,  and  plum,  and  gourd; 
With  jellies  soother  than  the  creamy  curd. 
And  lucent  syrops  tinct  with  cinnamon," 

and  heaped  these  delicates  upon  his  plate 
with  an  unsparing  hand.  Alas  for  the 
waiter  who  had  the  temerity  to  attempt 
to  despoil  him  of  a  single  dish  !  A  sten- 
torian voice  cried,  "  Bring  that  back  ! "  in 


154  AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


tones  which  enforced  a  trembHng  obedi- 
ence. On  one  occasion,  the  Captain  of 
the  ship  was  heard  to  remark  that  this 
officer  was  the  heartiest  eater  for  a  sick 
man  he  ever  saw,  as  he  never  missed  a 
meal  nor  decHned  to  take  a  drink.  With 
the  same  disregard  of  the  rights  of  others 
which  he  had  manifested  at  the  table,  he 
treated  the  passengers  with  his  room- 
mate's cigars,  when  he  had  plenty  of  his 
own,  and  used  without  permission  the 
arms  and  ammunition  which  the  junior 
had  in  charge,  knowing  that  the  latter 
had  to  account  to  the  United  States  for 
every  cartridge.  He  seemed  to  think 
that  the  world  was  created  for  one  per- 
son, and  that  he  was  that  favored  indi- 
vidual. The  ship  touched  at  a  foreign 
port,  and  the  ladies  and  gentlemen  made 
up  a  party  to  go  ashore  to  spend  a  day  in 


PATRICIAN  PREJUDICES. 


shopping  and  sight-seeing,  appointing  the 
Captain  of  the  vessel  purser  and  general 
manager  of  the  little  expedition.  The 
ex  Post  Commander,  ever  ready  to  avail 
himself  of  opportunities  for  amusement, 
was  a  member  of  the  party.  The  ladies, 
by  this  time,  had  ceased  to  expect  any 
civilities  from  him,  and  were  not  sur- 
prised, when  their  small  boat  arrived  at 
the  dock,  to  see  him  stalk  off  without 
offering  to  assist  them  in  the  difficult 
ascent  of  the  dilapidated  stairway  at  the 
landing ;  nor  when  he  took  a  carriage 
and  explored  the  city  alone.  They  can- 
not, therefore,  be  blamed  for  taking  a 
little  quiet  satisfaction  in  his  discom- 
fiture when,  after  viewing,  with  the  know- 
ing air  of  a  connoisseur,  the  pictures 
on  the  walls  of  the  parlor  of  the  hotel 
where  they  breakfasted,  he  inquired  the 


156  AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 

name  of  the  artist  who  painted  one  which 
he  greatly  admired,  and  was  informed  by 
the  clerk  that  the  picture  was  a  chromo! — 

"His  giantship  is  somewhat  crestfallen, 
Stalking  with  less  unconscionable  strides," 

but  soon  recovers  his  wonted  equanimity. 
He  evidently  considered  the  whole  affair 
as  gotten  up  for  his  especial  entertain- 
ment, as  it  never  occurred  to  him  to  re- 
imburse the  Captain  for  his  share  of  the 
general  expense  incurred  on  the  occasion. 
But  enough  !  We  will  leave  him  to  his 
selfish  devices. 

Patrician  blood  does  not  flow  in  the 
veins  of  every  officer  who  plays  the  role 
of  a  nobleman.  That  part  is  frequently 
taken  by  those  who  cannot  boast  of  even 
the  best  plebeian  origin.  It  often  happens 
that  an  overseer  on  public  works,  who 
controls  a  large  number  of  votes,  is  given 


PATRICIAN   PREJUDICES.  1 57 

a  cadetship  for  his  son,  in  consideration 
of  his  influence  in  the  election  of  a  Con- 
gressman, regardless  of  the  young  man's 
score  in  a  competitive  examination. 
Congressmen  frequently  exercise  their 
prerogative  to  their  own  political  advan- 
tage. The  following  report  is  taken  from 
the  records  of  a  commiission  which  met 
in  the  State  of  California  to  examine 
aspirants  for  a  cadetship  at  West  Point : 


^plicants. 

:ading. 

c 

•elling. 

S 

rithmetic. 

t 

0 

<v 

i story. 

^'crage. 

< 

.  cn 

< 

0 

< 

A 

90 

90 

37 

77 

68 

85 

S5 

85 

B. 

70 

50 

27 

35 

44 

52 

52 

52 

c. 

90 

75 

44 

84 

79 

86 

86 

85 

D 

90 

90 

33 

90 

90 

91 

91 

91 

E 

65 

40 

22 

30 

35 

100 

100 

44 

158  AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 

D  had  the  highest  average,  but  E 
received  the  appointment — the  Congress- 
man thus  ignoring  the  meritorious  com- 
petitor. This  class  of  appointees  gener- 
ally makes  officers  who  are  better  adapted 
for  holding  the  plow  than  wielding  the 
saber. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


A  LUDICROUS  PHASE  OF  FRONTIER  SERVICE. 

"But  wad  ye  see  him  in  his  glee  — 
For  meikle  glee  and  fun  has  he  — 
Then  set  him  down,  and  twa  or  three 

Gude  fellows  wi'  him; 
And  port,  O  port!  shine  thou  a  wee, 


O WHERE  do  we  see  more  strik- 


^  ii^gly  verified  Shakspeare's  words, 
"One  man  in  his  time  plays  many  parts," 
than  in  the  Army.  To-day,  comedy;  to- 
morrow, tragedy.  An  officers  frontier 
experience,  however,  partakes  largely  of 
the  serio-comic.  When  he  first  takes  the 
field  he  is  full  of  zeal,  and  wonders  why 


And  then  ye'U  see  him!  " 


— Burns. 


l6o  AMERICA?^  ARISTOCRACY. 


the  Indian  question  has  not  been  settled 
years  ago.  He  feels  confident  in  his  own 
ability  to  put  to  rest  forever  the  turbulent 
savage,  but  his  conceit  is  somewhat  damp- 
ened when  he  is  called  upon  to  apply  his 
theory.  He  finds  campaigning  different 
from  the  routine  duties  of  garrison  life. 
Ultra  refinement  in  diet,  dress  and  com- 
panionship is  replaced  by  a  more  health- 
ful state  of  feeling.  A  young  officer,  in- 
flated with  such  ideas,  joined  an  expedi- 
tion on  the  border,  and  was  so  fastidious 
that  he  could  not  breakfast  without  quail 
on  toast,  or  dine  without  a  juicy  roast  of 
beef,  a  great  variety  of  vegetables,  and 
an  elaborate  dessert ;  a  thumb-daub  on  the 
margin  of  a  dish  was  sufficient  to  con- 
demn the  edible  it  contained  ;  a  greasy  or 
coffee-stained  table-cloth  brought  down 
upon  the  cook  the  most  scorching  invec- 


FRONTIER  SERVICE. 


l6l 


tives  ;  and  soup  with  a  fly  in  it,  or  a  bis- 
cuit containing  the  organic  remains  of  a 
cockroach,  was  ample  provocation  for  a 
change  of  boarding  house.  After  this 
squeamish  gentleman  took  the  field  he 
fell  away  rapidly,  and  was  soon  reduced 
to  a  mere  shadow  of  his  former  self. 
Camp  life,  however,  sharpened  his  appe- 
tite and  toned  his  stomach  so  that  he 
could  devour  pork  and  hard-tack  with 
wonderful  avidity,  relish  a  cup  of  coffee 
in  which  half  a  dozen  grasshoppers  had 
met  their  death,  and  smile  exultingly  at 
the  unfortunate  insects  floating  on  the 
surface  of  the  seethino^  fluid.  This  whole- 
some  change  was  peculiarly  gratifying  to 
his  comrades,  who  had  previously  been 
annoyed  by  his  Epicurean  instincts.  One 
of  them,  who  was  so  unfortunate  as  to 

have  him  for  a  messmate,  hugely  enjoyed 
II 


l62 


AMERICAN 


ARISTOCRACY. 


seeing  him  contend  with  a  hungry  dog 
for  a  bone.  The  circumstances  were 
these  :  Disaster  having  befallen  the  expe- 
dition and  reduced  it  to  the  verge  of 
starvation,  these  two  gentlemen,  on  one 
occasion,  investigated  the  condition  of 
their  larder  with  a  view  to  the  possibility 
of  a  meal.  One  found  in  his  saddle-bags 
a  handful  of  cracker  crumbs  and  a  can  of 
tomatoes,  and  he  of  luxurious  tastes  tri- 
umphantly produced  a  hip-bone- — a  relic  of 
the  last  beef  of  the  commissary,  slaugh- 
tered some  days  before.  It  had  already 
furnished  several  meals,  and  there  vv^as 
hardly  enough  meat  left  to  make  a  re- 
spectable plate  of  soup ;  and  sand,  dust 
and  horse-hairs  amply  atoned  for  the 
absence  of  condiments.  With  such  ma- 
terials at  hand,  they  blithely  proceeded 
to  the  preparation  of  the  feast,  when  a 


FRONTIER  SERVICE. 


hungry  dog  appeared  on  the  scene.  Evi- 
dently thinking  the  dinner  was  over,  he 
looked  at  the  bone  with  an  expression  of 
disgust  that  said  as  plainly  as  canine 
could,  "  How  mean,  to  pick  a  bone  so 
close — a  dog  would  hardly  do  it,"  and 
waited  patiently  for  something  to  be  added 
to  this  morsel.  At  last,  concluding  that 
he  might  expect  nothing  more,  he  took 
it  and  leisurely  trotted  off  The  owner 
thereof,  turning  suddenly  and  seeing  their 
principal  reliance  thus  surreptitiously  dis- 
appearing, seized  a  club  and  rushed  fran- 
tically to  the  rescue.  The  faithful  scav- 
enger, hearing  fierce  imprecations  in  the 
rear,  looked  back  with  honest  gaze  to 
ascertain  the  cause,  when  a  vigorous  blow 
forced  him  to  drop  the  bone  and  flee 
from  impending  death. 

The  peculiar  and  extraordinary  men 


164  AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 

found  on  the  frontier  present  to  the 
officer  new  features  of  human  character 
which  are  fascinating  as  a  study,  but  not 
always  commendable  for  imitation  ;  yet, 
some  gentlemen  become  so  enraptured 
with  the  study  that  the  pursuit  of  knowl- 
edge discovers  an  affinity  for  the  man 
himself  It  is  interesting  to  see  what 
strange  boon  companions  share  the  hos- 
pitality, even  to  bed  and  board,  of  officers 
who,  prior  to  their  frontier  service,  were  so 
fastidious  that  they  would  scarcely  notice 
a  citizen  in  broadcloth,  much  less  toler- 
ate one  whose  clothes  bore  evidence  of 
honest  toil.  They  find  that  society  beyond 
the  confines  of  civilization  does  not  justify 
this  distinction.  There,  the  lawyer,  doc- 
tor, bandit  and  miner,  as  well  as  the 
vaquero,  settler,  gambler,  stage-driver  and 
hunter,  are  clad  in  the  same  inevitable 


FRONTIER  SERVICE.  1 65 

blue  or  gray  woolen  overshirt,  not  worn 
as  the  Indians  of  Manila  wear  theirs,  but 
neatly  tucked  into  the  pants,  which  are 
of  all  colors  from  primary  to  tertiary,  and 
made  of  fabrics  varying  from  buckskin, 
jeans  and  prison  check  to  the  immaculate 
doeskin  ;  and  often  all  these  materials  are 
so  ingeniously  combined  in  the  same  pair 
that  it  is  impossible  to  determine  the 
original  foundation.  This  o^arment  is 
supported  by  a  leather  belt  from  which 
depend  a  six-shooter  and  a  sheath-knife. 
The  head  is  usually  covered  with  a  black, 
soft-felt  hat. 

Military  Posts  are  the  favorite  resort 
of  the  frontiersman.  The  Trader's  store, 
like  the  immortal  Bascom's  at  the  Con- 
federate Cross  Roads,  is  the  chief  attrac- 
tion, and  here  is  the  best  place  to  make 
the  acquaintance  of  the  representative 


l66  AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


characters  of  the  border.  Though  they 
are  passionately  fond  of  bar-room  hfe  and 
whisky,  one  would  hardly  be  justified  in 
the  assertion  that  they  are  too  lazy  to 
work,  or  too  proud  to  beg,  or  that  they 
ever  become  incorrigible  loafers  and  oro 
into  politics.  However,  they  are  par- 
tially demoralized  and  in  favor  of  an  easy 
sort  of  life.  They  believe  in  the  universal 
brotherhood  of  man,  and  that  mutual 
affection  and  mutual  help  should  be  the 
rule  of  life.  The  Post  Trader  always  has 
a  tap-room  in  his  building,  adjacent  to 
the  bar-room,  for  the  use  of  officers  and 
citizens,  into  which  a  private  soldier  is  not 
allowed  even  to  look.  In  this  rendezvous 
of  the  select  may  be  heard 

"    *      *      *  the  sound 

Of  riot,  and.  ill-managed  merriment." 

At  almost  any  time  of  day  or  night  there 


FRONTIER  SERVICE. 


167 


may  be  seen,  seated  around  a  center-table, 
a  motley  group  of  officers  and  border 
characters  playing  Pedro,  Seven  Up,  or 
Poker,  for  money  and  the  drinks."  We 
recall  a  scene  :  The  usual  card  party  at 
the  center-table  playing  Pedro ;  at  one 
side  of  the  room  is  a  long  table  upon 
which  are  the  feet  of  an  officer  and  those 
of  two  men  from  the  dark  places  in  the 
mountains,  and  whisky,  lemons,  sugar, 
cigars  and  tumblers  (side  party  are  hav- 
ing a  confidential  talk,  exchanging  com- 
pliments in  mutual  admiration)  ;  a  citizen, 
with  buckskin  pants  profusely  ornamented 
with  patches  of  other  skins,  and  an  officer, 
are  lying  in  fond  embrace  upon  a  couch 
almost  hidden  under  a  canopy  of  tobacco 
smoke,  sleeping  off  an  excess  of  toddy. 

An  ex  Indian  Agent  of  local  celebrity 
was  a  frequenter  of  one  of  these  resorts. 


i68 


AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


He  was  a  genial  fellow,  could  tell  a  good 
joke,  sing  songs,  was  preeminently  fond 
of  whisky,  and  had  insidiously  crept  into 
the  favor  of  the  ladies  and  officers  of  the 
Post.  He  had  formerly  been  a  stage- 
driver  on  the  mountains,  and  had  an  ex- 
tensive knowledge  of  the  country  and  of 
the  habits  of  the  Indians,  and  was  always 
on  the  alert  for  an  opportunity  to  relate 
his  numerous  hair-breadth  escapes.  His 
birthday  was  quadrennial,  and  he  never 
failed  to  make  it  a  memorable  event.  He 
was  at  the  Post  on  the  return  of  one  of 
these  happy  occasions,  and  he  invited  the 
officers  to  come  to  the  Trader's  store  im- 
mediately after  guard-mount  to  aid  in  the 
celebration  of  the  day.  The  ex  Agent 
was  about  six  feet  two  inches  in  height, 
and  he  dressed  his  lone,  lank  figure  in 
holiday  attire,  without  regard  to  modern 


FRONTIER  SERVICE. 


169 


Styles  or  the  opinion  of  others.  He  wore 
a  towering  beaver  whose  pristine  beauty 
had  been  replaced  by  the  polish  of  age 
and  hard  usage  ;  his  pants  were  of  buck- 
skin, and  the  rains  of  many  seasons  had 
reduced  them  to  the  proportions  of  those 
seen  upon  the  conventional  Brother  Jon- 
athan ;  his  coat  was  of  the  pattern  known 
as  "  Shanghai,"  with  a  pocket  on  either 
side  of  the  skirt;  his  feet  were  encased  in 
buckskin  moccasins  with  soles  of  cowhide 
upon  which  the  hair  still  remained. 

The  gentlemen  promptly  responded  to 
the  invitation  ;  cards,  billiards,  songs  and 
toasts  were  enlivened  by  the  free  flow  of 
champagne,  and  they  loudly  shouted 
''Vive  r holer 

The  ex  Agent,  having  an  almost  super- 
stitious reo^ard  for  the  favor  of  the  fair 
sex,  felt  that  he  could  not  be  entirely 


I  JO  AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


happy,  nor  safely  hope  for  "  many  returns," 
unless  they,  too,  rejoiced  over  the  event 
of  his  birth.  When  the  enthusiasm  of 
the  gentlemen  was  at  its  height,  he  qui- 
etly withdrew  from  their  circle  and  pre- 
pared for  a  tilt  with  the  ladies.  Feeling 
assured  that  it  was  only  necessary  to  fur- 
nish the  means,  he  placed  a  bottle  of  wine 
in  either  pocket  of  his  coat,  and,  taking 
three  in  each  hand,  started  for  their  quar- 
ters. With  hat  hanging  on  the  back  of 
his  head,  and  a  lock  of  hair  resembling  a 
bunch  of  tangled  moss  covering  his  eyes, 
he  tacked  across  the  parade  ground  like 
a  ship  sailing  against  a  strong  head-wind. 
He  was  bound  for  the  Commanding  Offi- 
cer's house,  which  he  safely  reached  an4 
seated  himself  on  the  doorstep  to  rest. 
He  was  soon  discovered  by  the  wife  of 
that  official,  who  thought  the  open  air 


FRONTIER  SERVICE.  I7I 

was  best  for  one  in  his  condition,  and 
therefore  did  not  invite  him  into  the 
house,  but  coquettishly  asked  if  he 
were  sick.  To  which  he  repHed,  I'm 
celebratin'  an  event  that  has  been  a  great 
blessin'  to  that  branch  of  the  human  fam- 
ily which  I  represent." 

"  Pray  to  what  event  do  you  ahude.^" 
inquired  the  lady. 

"  My  advent  into  this  world,  madam  ! 
And  I  desire  the  ladies  to  rejoice  with 
me,  and  here's  the  stuff  to  do  it  v/ith  ! 
\  I'll  leave  you  a  couple  of  bottles  now,  and 
ask  you  to  excuse  me  until  I  go  around 
and  supply  the  other  ladies,  so  as  to  give 
you  all  an  even  start,"  was  the  answer. 

After  distributing  the  wine,  he  made 
another  round  to  take  a  glass  with  them, 
and  to  receive  their  blessings  and  good 
wishes.    It  took  a  great  quantity  of  liquor 


172 


AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


to  get  his  entire  giant  frame  under  its 
influence  —  the  average  man  would  go 
down  under  a  burden  that  served  merely 
as  an  appetizer  for  him  —  but  his  body 
now  began  to  wax  limber,  and  one  fair 
reveler,  fearing  she  would  have  a  case 
of  helpless  inebriation  on  her  hands,  re- 
quested him  to  invite  some  of  the  gentle- 
men to  join  them.  In  compliance  with 
her  wishes,  he  returned  to  the  Traders 
store,  where  he  found  the  officers  pleas- 
antly engaged  in  songs  and  games.  He 
asked  them  to  unite  with  the  ladies,  but 
they  were  unanimous  in  their  opposition 
to  alliance  with  the  female  faction.  And 

"  Ere  night's  midmost,  stillest  hour  was  past," 

the  revelry  had  ceased. 

"  There  are  no  ears  to  hear,  or  eyes  to  see  — 
Drown'd  all  in  Rhenish,  and  the  sleepy  mead!  " 

When  one  drops  in  to  spend  an  hour 


■    FRONTIER  SERVICE.  I  73 

or  two  with  an  officer,  and  finds  him 
entertaininof  a  man  that  looks  like  a  de- 
serter  from  Falstaff's  army,  he  is  at  a 
loss  to  know  what  his  friend  sees  to  ad- 
mire, or  that  is  in  the  least  cono-enial. 

o 

He  inquires,  and  is  told  that  that  man 
is  a  mine  of  information  ;  that  he  knows 
all  the  chiefs  and  men  of  importance  of 
every  tribe  of  Indians  in  the  country  ; 
that  he  is  familiar  with  their  haunts,  and 
is  a  good  guide.  As  the  intimacy  does 
not  cease  for  several  weeks,  the  most 
charitable  inference  is  that  an  inexhausti- 
ble source  of  provincial  history  has  been 
discovered. 

Owing  to  the  transitory  nature  of  fron- 
tier life,  these  singular  friendships,  how- 
ever profound  at  the  time,  are  not  gen- 
erally of  long  duration,  and  it  is  not  safe 
to  depend  too  much  upon  them. 


1 74 


AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


"There  is  no  union  here  of  hearts, 
That  finds  not  here  an  end." 

An  officer  who  had  taken  to  his  bosom 

a  man  of  this  type,  in  whom  he  placed 

the  most  implicit  confidence  and  trust, 

was  separated  from  him  by  a  change  of 

station.    Not  long  afterward,  a  Court  of 

Inquiry  was  convened  to  investigate  a 

charge  which  had  been  made  against  the 

officer  prior  to  leaving  his  former  Post. 

He  appeared  before  the  court  and  asked 

for  a  postponement  of  the  case  until  he 

could  procure  an  important  witness  from 

Kansas.     The    request   was   granted,  a 

summons  was  issued  for  his  quondam 

friend,  and  the  court  adjourned  to  meet 

at  the  call  of  the  Recorder.    Forty  days 

afterward    the    subpoena   was  returned 

bearing  the  following  endorsement : 

"  Respectfully  returned  to  Capt.  ,  Recorder 

of  Court  of  Inquiry,  with  the  information  that  the 


FRONTIER  SERVICE. 


^75 


within  named  witness  was  hanged  by  a  party  of  citi- 
zens, for  horse-stealing,  near  Wichita,  Kansas,  on 
the  day  of  ,  1876." 

In  speaking  of  the  influence  of  border 
associations,  it  may  be  truly  said  that 
even  the  Chaplains  partake  of  the  gen- 
eral spirit  of  recklessness.  We  recall  the 
ride  of  an  old  Chaplain  that  deserves  to 
be  handed  down  to  posterity  with  those 
of  John  Gilpin  and  Tarn  O'Shanter,  though 
his  object  for  taking  it  vv^as  quite  different 
from  that  of  either  of  those  famous  gen- 
tlemen. Two  soldiers  died  at  a  cavalry 
camp  which  was  situated  about  two  miles 
from  the  Fort  at  which  the  Chaplain  was 
stationed,  and  he  was  requested  to  per- 
form the  burial  service.  As  the  funeral 
procession  had  to  pass  the  Post  on  its 
way  to  the  cemetery,  which  was  half  a 
mile  distant,  he  remained  at  his  quarters 


Ij6  AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 

looking  for  it  until  the  sun  was  nearly 
down.  Weary  with  w^atching,  he  fell 
asleep  in  his  chair.  The  cortege  passed 
quietly  by  unnoticed,  and  when  the  head 
of  the  column  had  almost  reached  the 
city  of  the  dead,  the  band  began  to  play 
a  dirge,  and  the  mournful  notes,  wafted 
by  the  evening  breeze  to  the  old  man's 
ears,  waked  him.  He  ran  to  the  stable 
to  get  his  horse,  which  was  already  sad- 
dled, and,  mounting  in  hot  haste,  took 
a  direct  line  for  the  graveyard.  Disre- 
garding the  order  which  prohibited  riding 
or  drivinor  faster  than  a  walk  alonor  the 
street  in  front  of  the  officers'  quarters, 

"Away  went  "  Chaplain  —  "  who  but  he  ?  " 

Down  the  street  at  top  of  speed,  a  cloud 
of  dust  behind  him,  as  when  a  storm 
comes  suddenly.    The  Post  was  inclosed 


FRONTIER  SERVICE. 


by  a  high,  rustic  fence,  which  turned  the 
street  at  a  right  angle  at  the  end  of  the 
row  of  quarters,  and  followed  it  about 
two  hundred  yards  to  a  gate.  The  out- 
let, however,  was  not  on  his  course,  and, 
plying  the  spurs  to  the  horse's  sides,  he 
guided  for  the  fence. 

"Away  went  "  Chaplain,  "neck  or  naught; 
Away  went  hat  and  wig." 

"  The  dogs  did  bark,  the  children  screamed, 
Up  flew  the  windows  all ; 
And  every  soul  cried  out,  'Well  done !  " 
As  loud  as  he  could  bawl." 

Over  the  fence,  and  over  the  prairie,  like 
the  wind  he  flew,  and  entered  the  ceme- 
tery at  the  head  of  the  procession,  much 
to  the  amusement  of  the  soldiers,  his  bald 
head  shining  in  the  last  rays  of  the  set- 
ting sun  like  a  gilded  ball  on  a  church 


178  AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 

Spire.  He  performed  the  ceremony  and 
then  went  in  search  of  his  hat  and  wig. 

There  are  officers  who  systematically 
persecute  their  juniors  and  conduct  them- 
selves, socially  and  officially,  in  a  capri- 
cious and  vacillatinor  manner.  The 
junior  is  ever  alert  for  some  measure 
of  retribution,  and  if  it  comes  in  the 
line  of  duty,  as  when  he  is  assigned 
to  command  on  his  brevet  rank  and 
has  control  of  his  former  commander,  it 
is  generally  as  ample  as  was  that  of 
Pitman's  boy.  This  lad,  it  will  be  re- 
membered, acquired  the  rudiments  of  his 
education  in  a  log  school-house.  At  one 
place  the  plaster  was  broken  away  be- 
tween the  logs,  and  through  this  aperture 
the  boy  endeavored  to  escape,  feet  fore- 
most, during  school  hours.  Unfortunate- 
ly, he  stuck  fast  when  half  way  through. 


FRONTIER  SERVICE. 


179 


The  attention  of  the  teacher  was  directed 
to  the  culprit,  and  he  proceeded  to  the 
exterior  of  the  edifice  and  embraced  the 
opportunity  afforded  by  the  boy's  position 
to  inflict  punishment  with  a  shingle. 
Near  the  school-house  there  was  a  mill- 
race,  at  the  end  of  which  was  a  sluice- 
gate ;  below  the  gate  was  a  huge  tank 
fifteen  feet  deep,  which  carried  water  to 
an  undershot  wheel  ;  the  inside  of  the 
tank  was  green  and  slimy,  and  when  the 
water  was  carefully  draw^n  out,  a  great 
many  fish  could  often  be  found  lying  on 
the  bottom.  A  few  days  after  the  flog- 
ging the  boy  was  passing  the  tank,  and, 
happening  to  look  in,  saw  his  teacher  at 
the  bottom  picking  up  fish  and  putting 
them  into  a  bag.  The  boy  felt  that  the 
hour  of  vengeance  had  struck.  He 
turned  the  handle  of  the  sluice-gate,  and 


l8o  AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 

in  less  than  a  minute  that  jolly  old  peda- 
gogue was  floundering  in  six  feet  of 
water,  trying  in  vain  to  clamber  up  the 
slimy  sides  of  the  tank.  When  he  saw 
the  boy,  he  shrieked  to  him  for  help.  But 
the  lad,  with  fiendish  coolness,  said,  No, 
sir ;  you've  got  to  tread  water  until  you 
promise  never  to  lick  me  again." 

When  satisfaction  is  given  unwittingly, 
and  in  the  line  of  pleasure,  it  becomes  a 
reminiscence  to  laugh  over  at  the  camp- 
fire  or  the  mess-table  until  it  is  incorpo- 
rated into  the  legends  of  the  Arm}^  A 
Department  Commander  once  attended  a 
masquerade  ball  in  costume,  and  the  fre- 
quent potations  in  which  he  indulged 
finally  betrayed  him  to  some  juniors,  who 
exulted  in  this  opportunity  to  wipe  out 
old  scores.  When  the  exhilarating  effects 
of  the  wine  became  general,  they  got 


FRONTIER  SERVICE. 


l8l 


around  and  pretended  to  recognize  him 
as  one  of  their  chums,  and  one  of  them 
struck  him  vigorously  on  the  back  and 
said,  "You  can't  fool  me,  Jack,  I  know 
you!"  The  old  gentleman,  delighted 
with  the  thought  that  his  disguise  was 
perfect,  chuckled  inwardly,  and  aided,  to 
the  extent  of  his  physical  endurance,  the 
supposed  deception.  Another  youngster 
leaned  heavily  upon  the  General's  shoul- 
der and  confidentially  asked  if  he  could 
point  out  the  Department  Commander, 
adding,  "  I  want  to  see  how  the  old  fool 
looks  in  costume."  Another  seized  him 
around  the  waist  and  said,  "Come,  Jack, 
let's  have  a  waltz,"  at  the  same  time  spin- 
ning him  around  like  a  top.  When  they 
had  whirled  into  the  middle  of  the  room, 
the  junior  purposely  made  a  misstep  and 
threv/  the  old  fellow  violently  to  the  floor 


l82 


AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


and  fell  upon  him.  This  seeming  contre- 
temps was  a  climax  of  fun  for  the  others, 
who  had  followed  closely,  watching  for  an 
opportunity  to  trip  him  themselves.  In 
this  manner  he  allowed  himself  to  be 
knocked  about  until  he  saw  a  eood  chance 
for  escape,  and  then  retired  from  the 
room  much  exhausted  but  still  pleased 
with  the  idea  of  mistaken  identity. 

Apropos:  To  show  the  *'many  parts" 
an  officer  may  play,  even  in  one  day, 
we  relate  the  occurrences  of  a  certain 
St.  Patrick's  Day  in  the  Army.  The  Com- 
mander proclaimed  it  a  holiday,  and  gave 
his  men  as  much  latitude  as  he  allowed 
them  on  the  Fourth  of  July.  He  hon- 
ored the  occasion  by  drinking  freely  him- 
self and  forbidding  the  arrest  of  anyone 
for  drunkenness.  When  he  had  imbibed 
a  sufficient  quantity  of  different  beverages 


FRONTIER  SERVICE.  183 

to  put  him  on  unusually  good  terms  with 
himself  and  the  rest  of  mankind,  he  be- 
came exceedingly  zealous  in  his  efforts  to 
make  the  celebration  successful.  He  ar- 
ranged a  programme  for  horse,  mule,  bag, 
and  wheelbarrow  races,  catchinor  a  greased 
pig,  climbing  a  soaped  pole,  and  various 
other  sports.  The  exercises,  except  the 
horse  and  mule  races,  took  place  on  the 
parade  ground,  and  he  acted  as  master  of 
ceremonies.  He  played  the  role  of  the 
Soldiers'  Friend,  and,  as  an  evidence  of 
his  regard,  changed  his  nationality  as 
occasion  required.  If  a  son  of  Erin 
chanced  to  approach  him,  he  made  minute 
inquiries  respecting  his  ancestors,  and 
declared  himself  to  be  a  native  of  the 
Green  Isle  ;  if  a  Dutchman,  he  saluted 
him  in  Dutch,  and  said  that  he  had  not 
been  from  the  Vaterland  long  enough  to 


184  AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 

quite  forget  his  mother  tongue ;  if  a 
Frenchman,  he  claimed  descent  from 
General  Lafayette,  and  was  loud  in  his 
praises  of  La  Belle  France ;  and  so  on 
through  the  whole  list  of  nationalities 
represented.  Before  the  day  ended,  this 
man  of  multcB  lingticE  was  unable  to  dis- 
tinguish an  Irishman  from  a  moon-eyed 
son  of  the  Orient — which  fact  led  many 
to  doubt  the  sincerity  of  his  protestations 
of  brotherly  love. 


CHAPTER  V. 


INTEMPERANCE  PROFITS  OF  POST  TRADER- 
SHIPS. 

"Alake!  that  e'er  my  Muse  has  reason 
To  wyte  her  countrymen  wi'  treason! 
But  monie  daily  weet  their  weason 
Wi'  liquors  nice, 
An'  hardly,  in  a  winter's  season, 

E'er  spier  her  price." 

— Burns. 

"The  gold  that  sinful  occupation  yields, 
But  gilds  the  way  to  regions  of  the  damn'd." 

FROM  what  quarter  the  Army  de- 
rived its  popular  and  almost  uni- 
versal #istom  of  drinking  intoxicating 
liquors  —  whether  it  is  a  bequest  of  Alex- 
ander the  Great  to  the  sons  of  Mars  and 
passed  down  through  the  ages  in  lineal 

i8s 


i86 


AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


descent — its  legends  do  not  tell.  Little 
can  be  said  of  the  social  life  of  the  Army 
without  introducing  the  fabled  god  of 
wine.  Observe  the  officers  socially,  and 
we  see  more  to  condemn  than  to  ^dmire  ; 
a  mingling  of  noble  attributes  with  the 
lowest  vices  ;  the  intellect  in  some  cases 
brilliant  and  orrowinor  brighter,  and  in 
Others  irretrievably  lost  in  the  depths  of 
infamy.  Among  them  we  meet  with  mag- 
nanimity and  gallantry,  with  sympathies 
that  enter  into  our  feelings  and  supply  all 
our  wants  ;  but  we  perceive  that  every- 
thino-  tends  to  an  extreme  ;  vitiated  taste 
is  continually  seeking  a  change — gallantry 
gives  place  to  profligacy;  no  one  is  satis- 
fied with  his  actual  rank,  but  strives  to 
surpass  or  supplant  his  senior,  and  that, 
too,  by  every  device  of  which  he  is  capa- 


INTEMPERANCE. 


187 


"None  cared  what  way  he  gained,  so  gain  were  his" — 
hence,  there  is  deception,  flattery  and 
fawning. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  refer  to  those 
open  and  avowed  drunkards  that,  Hke 
vermin  on  carrion,  such  a  state  of  society 
must  inevitably  propagate  and  nourish, 
but  we  will  give  our  attention  to  the 
lank  victims  of  hopelessness  and  despera- 
tion —  wrecked  magnificence  —  blighted 
prospects — official  complications  that  fore- 
shadow ruin — and  numerous  other  miser- 
ies which  are  born  of  intemperance. 
We  might  here  ask  Dr.  Good's  pertinent 
question,  "  Which  of  the  two  extremes  of 
society  is  pregnant  with  the  greater  share 
of  moral  evils — that  of  gross  barbarism, 
or  that  of  an  exuberant  and  vitiated 
polish 

The  officers  still  cling  to  that  antiquated 


i88 


AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


idea  that  the  hospitality  of  a  gentleman 
is  not  complete  without  liquor,  and  there- 
fore keep  it  in  their  houses.  They  enter- 
tain generously,  and  the  guest  who  drinks 
the  greatest  quantity  of  spirits  without 
losing  control  of  his  senses  is  generally 
looked  upon  with  much  favor.  Among 
the  junior  officers  there  are  those  who 
take  especial  pride  in  drinking  whisky 
without  dilution,  particularly  if  in  the 
presence  of  veterans  whom  a  similar 
bravado,  in  the  days  of  their  youth,  has 
made  dyspeptic  and  unable  to  take  it 
without  water.  One  quart  of  high-proof 
whisky  per  day  is  drunk  by  some  of  the 
young  officers  without  producing  visible 
intoxication,  but  this  is  rare. 

The  blighting  curse  of  intemperance 
destroys  ninety  per  cent  more  of  the 
Army  than  powder  and  ball.    Its  wither- 


IXTEMPERA^'CE.  1 89 

ing  effects  may  be  seen  upon  officers  who 
have  not  yet  reached  the  meridian  of  Hfe. 
With  shattered  constitution,  they  tremble 
on  the  brink  of  a  drunkard's  grave — men 
who  micrht  have  made  themselves  famous 
as  warriors,  but  preferred  to  expend  their 
genius  in  dissipation  and  revelry.  Im- 
becility has  taken  the  place  of  the  vigor- 
ous manhood  that  characterized  their 
earlier  years,  and  they  are  given  com- 
mands in  the  field  to  the  prejudice  of 
the  service  and  humanity. 

An  ofticer  who  was  an  habitual  drunk- 
ard was  once  sent  with  his  company  after 
a  band  of  Indians  who  were  murderincr 
settlers  in  Kansas,  and  was  so  drunk  that 
he  could  not  read  the  order  which  detailed 
him  for  the  duty.  He  had  been  on  the 
trail  but  a  few  hours  when  his  scouts 
reported  the  Indians   encamped  within 


190  AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 

half  a  mile  of  him.  Alcohol  had  so  pros- 
trated his  nervous  system  that  he  had  be- 
come delirious  and  cowardly, —  constantly 
boding  evil, —  and  the  prospect  of  an 
engagement  so  completely  demoralized 
him  that  he  camped  immediately  to  give 
the  Indians  an  opportunity  to  escape. 

"     *    ^    *    erect  his  hair, 
Bristled  his  limbs,  and  with  amaze  he  stood, 
Mute  and  all  motionless." 

^    ^         while  horror  chill 
Ran  through  his  veins,  and  all  his  joints  relaxed." 

Two  companies  of  cavalry,  which  had 
been  sent  out  from  another  Post  in  pur- 
suit of  the  same  Indians,  came  upon  him, 
and  as  they  were  in  charge  of  officers  who 
were  his  juniors,  he  assumed  command  by 
virtue  of  his  prerogative  and  required 
them  to  remain  with  him.  Such  a  golden 
chance  for  distinction  seldom  falls  to  the 
lot  of  a  young  officer,  but  this  man's 


INTEMPERANCE. 


191 


pride  and  ambition  had  been  drowned  in 
the  infamy  of  dissipation.  Once,  after  a 
prolonged  debauch,  he  was  required  by 
his  Post  Commander  to  give  a  sworn 
pledge  that  he  would  abstain  from  the 
use  of  intoxicating  liquors  for  six  months. 
He  wrote  and  subscribed  the  promise, 
and  made  oath  by  the  Holy  Evangelists 
to  keep  it  inviolate ;  but  as  the  term 
"whisky"  was  commonly  accepted  to  in- 
clude all  kinds  of  intoxicants,  he  studi- 
ously used  that  word  in  the  construction 
of  the  obligation  so  that  if  he  should  yield 
to  his  weakness,  which  he  anticipated, 
there  would  be  a  loop-hole  for  conscience 
and  a  technical  advantage  in  the  light 
of  the  law. 

"The  power  of  all  things  ceases;  e'en  sacred  oaths 
At  tunes  be  broke,  and  the  determined  mind 
Forego  its  steady  purpose." 


192  AMERICAI^  ARISTOCRACY. 


His  fears  were  realized  in  a  few  days 
after  he  gave  the  bond,  but  he  avoided 
whisky  I  His  habit  of  remaining  in  bed 
much  of  the  time  during  his  periods  of 
drunkenness  gave  the  color  of  truth  to 
the  Surgeon's  report,  which  carried  him 
as  sick  in  quarters."  After  exhausting 
his  supply  of  liquor  in  the  field,  he  has 
been  known  to  drink  Alcohol,  Perry  Davis' 
Pain  Killer,  Extract  of  Ginger,  and  Mus- 
tard, as  substitutes. 

"Such  the  thirst,  the  insatiable  thirst, 
By  fond  indulgence  but  inflamed  the  more." 

He  was  dismissed  the  service  for  drunken- 
ness, but  the  sentence  was  remitted  in 
accordance  with  a  time-honored  custom 
in  like  cases.  In  the  trial  and  conviction 
of  an  officer  for  this  offense  the  court- 
martial  simply  performs  a  defined  duty, 
and.  in  cases  which  do  not  involve  crimi- 


INTEMPERANCE.  1 93 

nal  conduct,  the  members  of  the  court 
attach  an  appeal  for  clemency  to  their 
proceedings.  The  reviewing  authority 
goes  through  the  form  of  confirming 
the  findings  and  sentence,  and,  through 
respect  for  the  petition  of  the  court, 
remits  the  sentence,  the  ostensible  reason 
for  leniency  being  the  stereotyped  "  In 
view  of  this  officer's  gallant  and  meritori- 
ous services  in  the  field,  I  am  pleased  to 
remit  the  sentence,"  etc.  As  an  evidence 
of  the  impunity  of  alcoholism  in  the 
Army,  it  is  only  necessary  to  state  that 
this  officer's  social  standinor  is  above  the 
averao^e. 

o 

Viewed  as  a  unit  in  regard  to  the  use 
of  stimulants,  the  i\rmy  comprises  one 
vast  festive  fraternity.  And  are  we  not 
justified  in  the  assertion  that  the  Govern- 
ment sanctions  and  protects  this  vice, 
13 


194  AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


when  we  refer  to  the  case  of  an  officer 
who  was  placed  on  the  Retired  List  on 
account  of  the  dislocation  of  his  hip,  which 
was  caused  by  falling  out  of  a  buggy 
when  he  was  intoxicated  ?  If  we  exam- 
ine the  Retired  List,  and  consider  the 
cause  of  disability  in  many  cases,  we  are 
led  to  infer  that  the  Retiring  Board  con- 
strues "  line  of  duty "  as  including  the 
social  acts  of  an  officer. 

Clannishness  often  renders  it  impossi- 
ble to  prove  the  most  flagrant  cases  of 
drunkenness.  At  Fort  Hays,  Kansas, 
the  troops,  consisting  of  four  companies 
and  a  band,  were  paraded  at  "  Retreat," 
and  a  drunken  officer  staggered  across 
the  parade-ground  to  his  company  and 
fell  flat  on  his  face.  The  Post  Com- 
mander, who  was  one  of  the  many  wit- 
nesses of  the  disgraceful  scene,  was  asked 


INTEMPERANCE. 


by  a  lady  present,  "  General,  did  you  see 
that  officer  fall  ?  " 

''Yes,"  replied  the  General;  ''but  if  I 
were  to  prefer  the  charge  of  drunkenness 
against  him,  I  couldn't  prove  it!" 

The  following  case  fully  warrants  the 
General's  assertion :  A  captain  of  his 
regiment  was  sent  in  pursuit  of  Indians 
who  were  depredating  in  northern  Kan- 
sas. Instead  of  hunting  for  the  redskins, 
he  marched  along  the  railroad  near  which 
his  Post  was  situated,  and  always  camped 
at  a  station,  so  that  he  could  obtain  the 
means  to  indulge  his  insatiable  appetite 
for  whisky.  A  Contract  Surgeon  for 
whom  the  Captain  had  conceived  a  bit- 
ter dislike,  and  whom  he  essayed  to 
kill  when  in  a  fit  of  delirium  tremens, 
was  on  duty  with  the  company.  In  a 
second   attempt   upon    the   life  of  the 


196  AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACYo 

Surgeon  the  latter,  assisted  by  the  First 
Sergeant  and  several  privates,  threw 
the  crazed  officer  to  the  o^round  and 
bound  him  securely  with  a  rope.  The 
next  day  the  Surgeon  released  him  and 
reported  the  facts  to  the  General,  who 
immediately  preferred  charges  against  the 
Captain  for  drunlcenness  on  duty.  The 
entire  company  were  summoned  as  wit- 
nesses for  the  prosecution,  and  every  one 
of  them  swore  that  he  never  saw  the  Cap- 
tain intoxicated,  nor  even  under  the  influ- 
ence of  liquor.  The  court-martial  which 
tried  the  Captain,  knowing  that  inebria- 
tion was  his  normal  condition,  set  aside 
the  testimony  of  the  perjured  witnesses 
and  convicted  the  accused  on  the  evidence 
elicited  from  the  Surgeon,  and  then  made 
the  usual  recommendation  and  petition 


INTEMPERANCE.  1 97 

for  mercy,  which  the  reviewing  authority 
duly  respected. 

When  the  officers  set  the  example,  is  it 
remarkable  that  their  men  are  eiven  to 
drunkenness  .f^  It  is  a  recoo^nized  and  in- 
variable  custom  of  the  majority  of  soldiers 
to  give  the  meager  pittance  they  receive 
from  the  Government  to  the  Post  Trader 
for  intoxicants.  Pay-day,  which  comes 
every  two  months,  bears  the  same  relation 
in  a  soldier's  expectations  that  a  feast-day 
does  in  a  Mexican's.  It  is  a  time  for 
revelry  and  gambling — a  harvest  for  the 
Post  Trader  and  the  devil.  The  former 
prepares  for  it  by  increasing  his  clerical 
force,  but  the  latter  always  seems  to  be 
ready  for  an  exigence  of  business.  For 
the  two  weeks  succeeding  this  event,  very 
little  duty  is  expected  of  the  men,  as  it 
requires  about  that  length  of  time  for  the 


198  AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


Sutler  to  gather  in  all  their  money. 
While  it  lasts,  fighting,  desertion,  murder, 
and  all  the  offenses  in  the  catalogue  of 
crime  are  perpetrated.  The  guard-house 
is  filled  with  men  charged  with  the  com- 
mission of  deeds  that  will  impose  upon 
some  the  burden  of  a  ball  and  chain  and 
hard  labor  for  a  long  period  of  years,  and 
upon  others  the  forfeiture  of  life.  One 
would  suppose  that  the  disagreeable 
duties  which  this  heathenish  custom  en- 
tails upon  the  officers  would  be  sufficient 
to  induce  them  to  forego  its  privileges 
themselves,  and  endeavor  to  reclaim  the 
Army  from  this  demoralizing  practice.  To 
what  extent  they  are  propitiated  by  the 
Post  Trader's  furnishing  them  liquor, 
cigars  and  billiards  without  charge  is 
difficult  to  determine,  but  certain  it  is 
that  the  liberality  he  shows  to  them  and 


INTEMPERA^XE.  1 99 

their  families  is  considered  an  equivalent 
for  a  compromise  of  honor  that  in  civil 
life  would  be  pronounced  criminal. 

A  Sutler  or  Trader  is  allowed  by  law 
at  every  ^lilitary  Post  in  the  United 
States.  Their  chief  business  is  to  sell 
intoxicating  liquors  to  the  troops,  and  if 
the}'  were  debarred  this  privilege  there 
would  not  be  one  in  the  Armv.  Thev  q-qi 
rich  in  a  short  time. — rich  bv  destrovinor 
the  bodies  and  souls  of  human  beings, — 
and  their  occupation  is  dignihed  by  the 
guarantee  and  protection  of  the  Govern- 
ment I  The  warrant  under  which  a 
Trader  acts  eives  him  the  exclusive  rio'ht 
to  traffic  on  the  reservation  to  which  it 
relates. 

It  was  once  the  writer's  proA'ince.  as 
member  of  a  Council  of  Administration,, 
to  investio^ate  the  business  of  the  Trader 


200  AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


of  a  two-company  Post.  Taking  for  the 
basis  of  calculation  the  measure  of  the 
small  tumblers  in  which  the  Trader  served 
spirituous  liquors,  for  which  quantity  the 
soldier  was  charged  twenty-hve  cents,  it 
was  ascertained  that  he  received  the  enor- 
mous sum  of  seven  hundred  and  fifty-six 
dollars  for  a  forty-two  gallon  cask  of 
whisky.  His  books  showed  that  the 
aggregate  sales  of  this  kind  of  liquor 
alone  for  one  year  amounted  to  twenty- 
three  barrels,  making  the  gross  receipts 
seventeen  thousand  three  hundred  and 
eighty-eight  dollars.  Allowing  one  hun- 
dred dollars  per  barrel  for  cost  and 
freight,  he  realized  fifteen  thousand  and 
eighty-eight  dollars  profit.  His  profits 
from  the  sales  of  other  kinds  of  spirituous 
and  malt  liquors  and  wines  for  the  same 
period  amounted  to  three  thousand  dol- 


INTEMPERANCE. 


20I 


lars,  making  a  grand  total  profit  of  eigh- 
teen thousand  and  eighty-eight  dollars 
from  the  sale  of  intoxicants  for  one  year. 

After  the  examination  of  his  accounts 
was  completed,  a  member  of  the  Council 
remarked  to  the  Trader  that  if  it  were 
not  for  the  sale  of  liquor  his  business 
would  not  be  very  profitable.  To  which 
he  replied,  ''I  would  not  be  here  —  it 
would  not  pay." 

To  confirm  his  declaration  that  it  would 
not  pay,  it  is  only  necessary  to  state  that 
the  Subsistence  Department  sells  to  the 
soldier  tobacco,  canned  and  dried  fruits, 
preserves,  canned  vegetables,  cheese,  sar- 
dines, oysters,  raisins,  prunes,  and  many 
other  articles  not  comprised  in  the  rations, 
at  first  cost.  The  Trader  cannot  do  this. 
He  adds  to  the  prime  cost  the  transporta- 
tion, which   is  very  expensive    on  the 


202  AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


frontier,  and  sells  at  a  gain.  It  neces- 
sarily follows  that  he  must  deal  in  some- 
thing not  supplied  by  the  Army,  and 
consequently  his  sole  reliance  is  intoxicat- 
ing beverages  ;  and  the  Government  au- 
thorizes him  to  sell  them. 

The  foregoing  exhibit  shows  that  a 
Military  Post  Trader  could  well  afford  to 
pay  the  bonus  assessed  upon  him  for  his 
position  by  the  wife  of  a  former  Secretary 
of  War.  The  perquisites  from  this  source, 
however,  have  been  cut  off  from  the  War 
Office  by  changing  the  mode  of  appoint- 
ing Traders.  The  candidate  now  applies 
to  a  Post  Council  of  Administration  of 
the  Post  he  desires.  Upon  their  recom- 
mendation, approved  by  the  Post  Com- 
mander, the  Secretary  of  War  issues  the 
necessary  warrant,  which  guarantees  to 
the  Trader   the   exclusive    privilege  to 


INTEMPERANCE. 


203 


traffic  on  the  military  reserve  to  which  he 
is  appointed.  It  is  due  to  this  change 
that  the  General  of  the  Army  returned  to 
VVashino^ton  to  live,  beincr  able,  under  the 
present  system,  to  compete  VvUth  the  wives 
of  Cabinet  officers  in  number  and  quality 
of  receptions  and  dinners:  His  salary  of 
thirteen  thousand  five  hundred  dollars 
per  annum  was  insufficient  for  this  under 
the  old  regime. 

The  Tradership  at  Fort  Union,  New 
Mexico,  is  worth  twenty-five  thousand  dol- 
lars a  year,  but  it  is  no  better  than  many 
others.  Traders  who  have  the  necessary 
influence  to  procure  the  transfer  of  troops 
to  their  Post  may  increase  their  revenues. 

Virtually,  the  Army  is  a  school  of  dissi- 
pation ;  and  it  really  seems  as  if  the 
establishment  were  kept  up  chiefly  for  the 
benefit  of  the  Post  Traders. 


204  AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


Young  men  not  inclined  to  intemperate 
habits  before  entering  the  service  soon 
acquire  them  after  joining.  There  are 
some  who  enHst  through  patriotic  motives, 
expecting  soldier  life  to  be  one  grand 
gala  day  of  bunting,  bugles  and  ''shoulder 
arms,"  but  find  the  reality  quite  different 
from  their  ideal.  They  are  compelled  to 
associate  with  uncongenial  people— their 
equals  only  when  measured  by  a  physical 
standard.  They  find  themselves  com- 
panions of  debauches  of  the  lowest 
order,  and  are  greeted  on  every  side  with 
prison  slang  and  oaths.  On  pay-day, 
they  see  that  drunkenness  is  almost  uni- 
versal— seemingly  an  obligation — and,  un- 
willing to  shirk  anything  that  pertains  to 
duty,  they  join  in  the  common  revelry 
Avith  a  vigor  that  soon  begets  the  title  of 


INTEMPERANCE. 


205 


"veteran."  Such  is  the  force  of  example 
when  it  is  constantly  before  a  man's  eyes. 

Very  few  Americans  enlist,  and  most  of 
those  who  do  are  mechanics  who  have  be- 
come inveterate  drunkards,  and,  unable 
to  obtain  employment  at  their  trades, 
join  the  Army  for  support. 

Sometimes,  when  troops  take  the  field 
for  a  campaign,  a  Post  Trader  gets  per- 
mission from  the  Commanding  Officer  to 
accompany  the  expedition  with  a  supply 
of  liquor,  which  is  carried  along  in  wagons 
adapted  to  the  purpose.  This  privilege 
is  solicited  only  when  it  is  known  that  the 
soldiers  will  be  paid  in  the  field.  A  com- 
mand once  arrived  at  a  point  within  forty 
miles  of  a  Post,  where  it  was  met  by  a 
courier  who  bore  a  dispatch  directing  the 
Commander  to  await  there  the  arrival  of 
the  Paymaster,  who  was  then  en  route. 


2o6 


AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


The  man  of  money,  accompanied  by  the 
Post  Trader,  who  had  the  usual  supply  of 
whisky  and  other  liquors  with  him,  arrived 
in  due  time.  No  difficulty  was  experi- 
enced by  the  latter  in  obtaining  permission 
to  exchano^e  his  wares  for  the  gfreenbacks. 
In  two  hours  from  the  time  payment  be- 
gan the  men  were  fighting,  raving  and 
cursing,  and  it  finally  became  necessary 
to  tie  several  mutinous  fellows  to  the 
company's  wagons.  That  night  three 
men  deserted,  making  good  their  escape 
with  their  horses,  arms  and  equipments. 
On  the  second  day  after  the  payment  an 
officer  asked  the  Commander  when  he 
intended  to  resume  the  march,  and  re- 
ceived the  following  reply : 

"  I  shall  rem.ain  here  a  few  days  to  give 
the  men  time  to  have  their  spree  out." 

Several    days    afterward   the  Trader 


INTEMPERANCE. 


207 


called  on  the  Commanding  Officer  to  pre- 
sent him  with  a  box  of  choice  cigars,  and 
to  inform  him  of  his  intention  to  depart 
the  next  day  for  the  Post,  when  the  old 
gentleman  asked,  "  Have  you  got  about 
all  their  money?"  To  which  the  Trader 
replied,  ''Yes,  I  think  I  have  got  the  most 
of  it ;  yesterday  and  to-day  there  was  not 
much  taken  in,  and  I  don't  think  what  is 
still  out  is  worth  waitino^  for." 

One  of  those  hells  on  wheels  accom- 
panied a  regiment  of  cavalry  that  was 
changing  station,  and  during  a  march  of 
five  hundred  miles  nine  soldiers  and  three 
citizens  were  murdered  in  drunken  broils ! 
What  an  ignominious  death !  Died 
like  dogs, —  unwept,  unknelled  and  un- 
sung,—  and  their  bodies  deposited  in  a 
shallow  trench,  to  be  fed  upon  by  raven- 
ous wolves  !    Slain  in  battle  with  savao^es, 


208 


AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


and  one's  name  spelt  wrong  in  the  news- 
paper reports,  would  be  far  preferable. 
Their  burial-place  should  be  marked  by 
an  imperishable  monument,  upon  which 
should  be  emblazoned  in  glowing  capitals 
the  name  of  their  commander  and  the 
cause  of  their  death,  to  stand  there  as  an 
everlasting  reproach  to  the  Government 
that  authorizes  the  peddling  of  demoral- 
ization and  death  among  its  people  ! 

When  we  hear  of  the  death  of  a  young 
officer  on  the  frontier,  caused  by  accident 
of  drowning,  horse  falling,  or  by  some 
other  contingency  of  the  march  over 
mountains  and  through  rivers,  we  know 
that  maternal  hopes  are  blasted  and  pa- 
ternal pride  turned  to  despondency;  that 
grief  is  keenest  when  it  is  felt  that  the 
bright  promise  of  a  life  that  has  been 
watched  with  increasing  interest  in  its 


INTEMPERANCE. 


209 


development  from  infancy  to  manhood 
can  never  be  fulfilled ;  but  the  parents' 
sorrow  is  assuaged  somewhat  by  the 
thought  that  their  son  died  in  the  per- 
formance of  his  duty — died  in  the  inter- 
est of  his  country.  Who  so  cruel,  then, 
as  to  deprive  them  of  their  consolation 
when  charity  has  hidden  the  true  cause 
of  death  }  Perchance  he  was  intoxicated 
and  attempted  the  passage  of  a  deep, 
rapid  stream,  and  fell  from  his  horse 
when  it  charged  the  impetuous  current; 
or  recklessly  urged  the  animal  down  a 
rocky  steep  and  was  precipitated  into  a 
yawning  chasm. 

Apropos  :  A  young  officer,  stationed 
in  the  "  far  west,"  was  sent  to  a  neighbor- 
ing fort  on  official  business.  He  made 
the  trip  on  horseback,  and  was  so  drunk 

when  he  arrived  that  he  did  not  know 
14 


2iO  AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


what  he  came  for,  and  the  officer  in  com- 
mand ordered  him  to  leave  the  Post. 
He  started  for  the  nearest  town,  which 
was  seven  miles  distant,  and  in  less  than 
an  hour  his  horse  returned  without  its 
rider.  A  party  was  dispatched  to  search 
for  the  missing  man,  and  after  an  hour's 
hunt  they  found  him  about  three  miles 
from  the  fort  and  a  mile  from  the  road, 
lying  on  the  ground  helplessly  drunk 
and  a  pack  of  wolves  barking  at  him. 

It  has  frequently  been  necessary  to 
detail  soldiers  to  remain  in  the  rooms 
with  young  officers  who  had  77ia7iia  a  potu, 
to  prevent  their  doing  violence  to  them- 
selves or  others. 

There  is  a  class  of  officers  who  do  not 
drink  constantly,  but  have  the  most  dis- 
gusting periodic  debauches  that  ever  dis- 
graced the  slums  of  iniquity.  However 


INTEMPERANCE. 


21  I 


Others  may  view  them,  they  rate  them- 
selves sa7is  reproche.  One  of  them  once 
preferred  charges  against  a  brother  officer 
for  conduct  2inbecoming  an  officei^  and  a 
gentlemaii,  and  was  soon  afterward  sent 
to  a  distant  city  to  deposit  public  funds 
in  a  United  States  sub-treasury, — a  detail 
much  sought  on  the  frontier,  as  it  takes 
the  officer  into  civilization.  In  less  than 
three  hours  after  performing  this  duty  he 
was  found,  in  full  uniform,  in  a  low 
brothel,  dead  drunk.  His  conduct  was 
so  offensive  that  the  inmates  of  the  den 
employed  two  hoodlums  to  take  him  to 
his  hotel.  He  was  carried  throuo^h  the 
public  streets,  followed  by  a  crowd  of 
idlers,  one  of  Avhom  carried  his  cap. 

An  old  bachelor  Captain,  whose  com- 
pany formed  a  subdivision  of  a  column 
en  route  to  one  of  the  Territories,  was 


212  AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 

also  a  toper  of  the  above  type.  The 
troops  having  halted  near  a  city  for  a  few 
days,  the  Captain  donned  his  best  uni- 
form, and,  with  cane  and  butter-colored 
kids,  meandered  the  streets,  staring  at 
ladies  and  gazing  into  shop  windows.  He 
suddenly  disappeared.  Two  days  after- 
ward the  column  left,  but  had  not  gone 
more  than  five  miles  when  it  was  over- 
taken by  a  messenger  with  the  informa- 
tion that  the  Captain  had  been  found  in 
the  classic  precincts  of  the  city,  nearly 
drowned  in  muddy  water,  in  the  gutter 
in  front  of  a  dance-house  where  might 
be  heard  the 

"  Midnight  shout  and  revelry  " 

of  the  demi-monde  and  lazaroni.  As  he 
was  too  drunk  to  sit  upon  a  horse,  an 
ambulance  was  sent  back  for  him. 


INTEMPERANCE. 


213 


About  a  year  previous  to  this  episode 
in  the  Captain's  career  he  spent  a  short 
leave  in  the  city  of  Leavenworth.  After 
making  a  round  of  formal  calls  upon  the 
military  people  there,  he  felt  that  the  time 
had  come  for  him  to  lay  aside  the  re- 
straints of  propriety  and  enjoy  a  little 
relaxation.  Accordingly,  he  got  drunk 
and  fell  from  the  sidewalk  into  the  street, 
cuttinor  his  head  on  the  curbstone.  An 
officer  of  the  Staff  happened  along  and 
saw  him,  half  buried  in  mud,  struggling 
to  regain  the  walk,  and,  actuated  by 
motives  of  professional  pride  rather  than 
feelings  of  friendly  regard,  he  took  the 
besotted  Captain  to  the  railway  station 
and  put  him  on  a  train  with  instructions 
to  return  to  his  Post.  It  required  two 
days  to  make  the  journey  —  time  enough 
to    get    sober   and    brush    his  clothes. 


214 


AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


When  he  arrived,  his  garments  still  bore 
evidence  of  the  debauch,  but  that  was 
overlooked  by  his  friends  in  their  eager- 
ness to  ascertain  how  he  received  the  cut 
on  his  head.  In  reply  to  their  inquiries, 
he  said  : 

"  I  would  like  to  have  some  of  the 
street-car  drivers  of  the  city  of  Leaven- 
worth in  my  company  !  I'd  make  it  hot 
for  them  !  They  have  no  regard  for  life 
or  limb  !  If  you  want  to  get  on  a  car 
you  must  take  a  position  beside  the  track 
when  the  car  is  half  a  block  distant,  as  it 
is  not  stopped  unless  there  are  several  to 
get  off  or  on.  When  you  arrive  at  the 
crossing  where  you  wish  to  land,  the  dri- 
ver brings  the  horses  to  a  walk,  but  just 
when  you  are  in  the  act  of  stepping  down 
he  whips  up,  and,  if  you  are  not  expecting 


INTEMPERANCE.  21  5 

such  a  movement,  away  you  go  upon  your 
head.     Thafs  the  way  I  got  that  cut !  " 

An  officer  who  commanded  a  Post  on 
the  Pacific  Slope,  and  who  was  addicted 
to  intermitting  inebriation,  called  upon 
a  member  of  the  garrison  who  was  having 
a  carousal  in  his  quarters  for  the  enter- 
tainment of  some  friends,  among  whom 
was  the  ex  Indian  Agent  previously  men- 
tioned. After  imbibing  freely  of  several 
kinds  of  beverages,  the  Commander  be- 
came very  boisterous.  The  mixture 
aroused  a  belligerent  spirit  in  him, — over 
which  his  wife  had  held  a  masterly  sway 
until  that  moment, —  and  revived  the 
fading  memory  of  official  troubles  in 
which  he  was  involved  with  the  ex  Agent 
when  the  latter  was  in  charge  of  an  Indian 
Reservation.  These  recollections  hav- 
ing produced   irrational   excitement,  he 


2l6  AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


seized  a  German-student  lamp  and  at- 
tempted to  wipe  out  old  scores  by  ap- 
plying it  vigorously  to  the  intrepid  ex 
Agent,  who,  holding  a  glass  of  wine  in 
one  hand  and  guarding  his  head  with  the 
other,  slowly  retreated  with  face  to  the 
foe,  singing  a  popular  camp-meeting  song, 
and  manifesting  supreme  delight  in  all 
that  was  transpiring  around  him.  Two 
strong  men  seized  the  warlike  Captain, 
laid  him  on  a  couch,  put  a  wet  cloth  on 
his  head,  and  then  sat  on  him  till  it  was 
safe  to  let  him  go  home. 

The  examples  of  intemperance  in  the 
Army,  that  have  been  mentioned,  belong 
to  the  milder  form.  Thousands  are  daily 
transpiring  so  terrible  in  their  depravity 
that  to  relate  them  would  raise  a  ques- 
tion of  veracity  in  the  minds  of  those  not 
familiar  with  the  facts,  and  a  doubt  as  to 


INTEMPERANCE. 


the  possibility  of  such  excesses  among 
enlightened  people. 

Will  those  who  are  responsible  for  the 
sale  of  intoxicating  liquors  on  the  military 
reservations  claim  that  it  is  a  measure  of 
political  economy  ?  Can  they  face  the 
indignation  of  nearly  fifty  millions  of  peo- 
ple, who,  as  a  nation,  boast  of  their  civil- 
ization and  progress,  and  satisfactorily 
account  to  them  for  tempting  men  to 
deeds  of  woe  and  death, —  for  adding 
insult  to  robbery  and  fraud, —  for  sending 
desolation  and  want  in  all  forms  of 
terror  to  the  firesides  of  the  families, 
parents  or  friends  of  those  whose  bodies 
and  souls  have  been  bartered  to  enrich 
Post  Traders,  who  do  not  pay  one 
dollar  into  the  public  treasury }  Every 
American  should  blush  for  this  lack  of 
national  dignity,  and  weep  for  the  burn- 


2l8  AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


ing  disgrace  with  which  it  stigmatizes 
his  country.  A  mighty  nation  sowing 
the  seeds  of  misery  and  death  among 
its  own  people !  By  opportune  action 
Congress  might  save,  this  very  year, 
a  thousand  lives  and  years  of  want  by 
prohibiting  the  sale  of  intoxicants  at 
Military  Posts.  When  this  is  done, 
sutlerships  will  not  be  sought,  and  the 
most  fruitful  source  of  dissolute  habits 
and  crime  in  the  United  States  will  be 
extirpated.  Congress  should  do  more 
than  this.  The  sale  of  liquor  to  a  soldier 
should  be  made  a  penal  offense.  The 
Government  punishes  citizens  for  pur- 
chasing a  soldier's  clothing,  and  why  not 
punish  them  for  selling  to  him  anything 
that  will  impair  his  usefulness  as  a  soldier.^ 
Surely,  a  sober  man  without  clothes  would 
be  more  serviceable  than  a  drunken  man 


INTEMPERANCE. 


with  clothes.  The  soldiers  are  the  Na- 
tions wards  durine  the  term  of  their 
enlistment,  and  should  have  the  same 
moral  guards  and  protection  that  a  parent 
throws  around  his  children.  The  Army 
should  be  a  reformatory  rather  than  a 
Bacchanal.  Let  those  in  power  remem- 
ber their  accountability  to  society.  They 
should  be  true  to  their  manhood  and  to 
mankind  —  be  faithful  to  their  trust,  and 
set  an  example  of  courage  in  the  perform- 
ance of  their  duty.  Only  in  this  way  can 
they  satisfy  outraged  humanity,  violated 
law,  and  an  offended  God.  We  see  the 
bitter  consequences  of  impunity  —  they 
challenge  the  vengeance  of  Divinity. 
From  the  fact  that  temperance  is  a  good 
thing,  every  means  is  justifiable  by  which 
the  number  of  drunkards  can  be  dimin- 
ished.   It  behooves  every  parent,  every 


2  20 


AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


citizen,  every  man  who  loves  his  country, 
to  do  all  in  his  power  to  overthrow 
the  mother  of  iniquity  —  intemperance. 
Look  at  its  appalling  effects  upon  society 
everywhere!  Lawlessness  abounds  on 
every  side,  and'  in  the  most  terrible 
forms  manifests  its  barbarous  instincts. 
The  scenes  of  blood  daily  enacted  in 
every  State  send  a  thrill  of  horror  through 
the  land,  and  make  a  page  in  the  Nation  s 
record  forever  indelible.  A  people  who 
do  not  avail  themselves  of  every  means 
for  their  own  moral  and  physical  pres- 
ervation will,  sooner  or  later,  become 
imbecile  and  incapable  of  self-government. 

There  will  have  to  be  a  change  in 
our  election  system  before  the  reforms 
which  society  demands  can  be  fully  at- 
tained. Under  the  present  laws  every 
man  has  a  vote,  without  regard  to  his 


INTEMPERANCE. 


22  1 


character,  his  conduct,  his  utility  and  in- 
dustry as  a  citizen,  or  the  amount  he  con- 
tributes to  the  revenue  of  the  State.  The 
brothel  keeper,  who  subsists  on  the  wages 
of  infamy,  counts  for  just  as  much,  polit- 
ically, as  the  hard-working  artisan  who 
invents  some  admirable  piece  of  mechan- 
ism by  which  labor  quadruples  its  pro- 
ductiveness. The  drunkard  can  neutralize 
the  suffrage  of  the  abstemious  member  of 
society  who  is  taxed  for  the  support  of 
the  drunkard's  deserted  children  in  an 
orphan  asylum,  and  the  man  who  picks 
your  pocket  to-day,  and  escapes  detection, 
can  walk  up  to  the  polls  a  week  afterward 
and  record  his  vote  in  favor,  perhaps,  of 
a  much  greater  thief  than  himself. 

The  Government  should  be  the  chief 
mover  in  behalf  of  any  measure  that 
will  promote  the  welfare  of  its  people. 


222  AMERICAN  ARISTOCRACY. 


It  should  inaugurate  the  needed  reform 
in  the  Army  by  prohibitory  and  compul- 
sory laws.  It  has  been  said  that  the  word 
''compulsory,"  as  used  in  legislation  for 
the  general  weal,  might  well  be  erased 
from  American  dictionaries ;  that  it  is 
alien  to  American  ideas,  hostile  to  the 
spirit  that  underlies  our  institutions.  We 
do  not  concur  in  that  opinion,  for  if  there 
is  a  country  on  the  face  of  this  planet  that 
needs  compulsory  laws,  it  is  the  United 
States;  and  it  is  highly  probable  that  un- 
limited license  has  made  more  drunkards 
in  the  Army  than  a  prohibitory  law  would 
have  produced.  A  reasonable  deduction 
from  this  proposition  demands  that  our 
aristocracy  be  amenable  to  at  least  two 
rules  of  government — the  first  bounding 
their  sphere  of  action,  and  the  second 
holding  them  to  a  clearly  defined  account. 


